A new handheld air impulse tonometer.

A new type of non-contact tonometer is described. The instrument is handheld and incorporates a system which automatically generates the measuring pulse of air when the alignment is correct. A brief description of the design and the results of clinical trials are presented. These establish a good correlation with paired Goldmann readings (correlation coefficient, r = 0.88 to 0.95, standard deviation, S.D. 1.56 to 2.66 mm Hg).