Российский офтальмологический журнал (Jun 2021)
Prospects of using the TVGD-02 tonometer for assisted monitoring of intraocular pressure at home
Abstract
Purpose: to evaluate the safety and convenience of self-using the intraocular pressure tonometer TVGD-02 at home with no participation of medical professionals. Material and methods. 42 people formed 30 pairs: a patient and an assistant. In 9 pairs, each person played both roles. The participants practiced the technique of transpalpebral measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) at home, and, as assistants, measured IOP of their partner patients. All subjects were asked to fill in a questionnaire to evaluate the convenience and safety of the tonometer use by a 5-point system. Results. The assistant users, aged 22 to 83 (ave. 59.68 ± 17.20 years) had diverse educational levels. Of the patient users, aged 22 to 82 (ave. 60.64 ± 17.10 years), 82.14 % had ocular pathology, while 35.7 % had glaucoma with concomitant pathology. In 100 % of cases, the participants required no professional assistance to properly prepare the tonometer for operation and perform IOP measurement. The accuracy and reproducibility of measurement results significantly increased with the assistants’ gaining skills of operating the tonometer. On the 1st day, the data obtained in a series of measurements scattered for the control block within 2.07 ± 1.70 [7; 0] mm Hg, while the measured IOP of the patient scattered within 2.89 ± 19.10 [8; 0]. In contrast, on the 5th day, measurement accuracy increased significantly and the scatter dropped to 1.21 ± 0.72 [2; 0] and 0.85 ± 0.69 [2; 0] mm Hg, respectively. The users rated the ease of using the device at different staged from 4.21 ± 0.67 to 5.0 ± 0.0 points. Conclusion. Assisted transpalpebral tonometry with the TVGD-02 tonometer ensures an adequate assessment of IOP in patients at home. The principles of device operation and the technique can be learned and skills can be gained without the participation of medical personnel.
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