Intraocular pressure response to scleral indentation

Purpose. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is influenced by many factors. Our purpose was to determine the immediate response of the IOP to scleral indentation (SI). Methods. Twenty-five subjects had IOP measured using Goldmann applanation tonometry before and after SI. The total indentation time was 40 s. IOP was remeasured in a masked fashion. Results. Average IOP for the control eyes was 15.32 mm Hg (range: 10 to 22 mm Hg) before SI and 14.80 mm Hg (range: 9 to 24 mm Hg) after SI. The average IOP for the subject eyes was 15.08 mm Hg (range: 8 to 22 mm Hg) before SI and 13.14 mm Hg (range: 6 to 22 mm Hg) after SI. Conclusions. These results indicate an average decrease of 1.94 mm Hg for the subject eyes vs. 0.52 mm Hg for the control eyes in response to SI. This represents a statistically significant drop in IOP among the subject eyes in response to SI (p<0.001).