PEN-LIKE #TONOMETER DESIGNED TO BE PATIENT-FRIENDLY – #TRANSPLAPEBRAL DIATON TONOMETER MEASURES IOP QUICKLY SHOWS RESULTS SIMILAR TO ‘GOLD STANDARD’ IN STUDIES A #handheldtonometer that measures IOP through the #eyelid and over the #sclera is proving to be helpful for #ophthalmologists faced with patients who are apprehensive about seeing an instrument approaching their #eyes or who have a #corneal abnormality, according to several ophthalmologists who have studied it. The tonometer (Diaton, #BiCOM) is a pen like instrument that measures IOP within seconds without the need for anesthesia or sterilization. Approved by the FDA, the instrument has been the subject of numerous clinical trials, where it has been found to be comparable with the gold standard the #Goldmann #applanation tonometer. According to Roman #Iospa, the company’s chief executive officer, the device is available in more than 50 countries, and more than 25,000 units are on the market. Additional accessories are not required. Convenience for all The #device appeals to ophthalmologists who see pediatric patients and those with patients who have corneal edema or erosions or #keratoprostheses, he said. Because the device is used on the upper eyelid and out of the patients’ field of #vision as they recline and look at a 45° angle, patients do not tend to blink or squeeze their eyes shut before the reading, which can skew the IOP measurement. “It is convenient for the doctor and pain less for the patient,” Iospa said. “There is really no discomfort, especially for the patient who might be slightly anxious.” Mark Latina, MD, and Tarek Shazly, MD, members of the Department of #Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston, and Emil William Chynn, MD, an ophthalmologist in private practice at Park Avenue #Laser in New York, performed a study of the tonometer to compare IOP measurements taken with the device with those from the Goldmann applanation tonometer in normal and #glaucomatous eyes. Read more at www.diaton.com (at New York, New York)