Air Puff Test

Hello Dr.

Today i took my son ( 15 years old) to eye doc for a yearly eye examination. Doctor did a Air puff test. My son told me that something like a air jet came into his eye and he was affraid. After that he feels his eye is kind of watery. Is that test a safe test? Do you think that force of air can put huge pressure on eye and can cause any problem.

Thank you very much.

[AnnettaD]

The air puff is a test for glaucoma, an eye disease that's caused by elevated pressure within the eye.  The test tells the number pressure; when you get up into the high twenties doctors get concerned.  I would doubt that a fifteen year old has glaucoma   There's no danger in the test.  But, you know, that test is quite old...didn't think any doctor administered it any longer.  What they do now to check for high pressure is put a drop in each eye that deadens the feeling and then put a small device on the eyeball to get the pressure.  Sounds freaky, I know; but trust me with the drops you can't feel it at all.  I've had it done tons of times.  

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Puff tonometry or "non-contact" tonometry is definitely still used, especially in optometric practices.  It is a good screening test but can sometimes overestimate pressures.  Not as accurate as goldman tonometry but very sensitive in picking up pressure problems.  Glaucoma, however takes much more than pressure to diagnose and up to 30% of people with glaucoma can have normal pressures.  By the way the test will not hurt the eye and glaucoma can occur at any age but much more common as you get older.

MJK MD

[adamsnell]

your son is a *****.

[des900]

This test will not cause any damage.