Do I need the Air Puff Test at every eye exam?

The air puff test measures eye pressure, which can be an indicator of glaucoma.  However, it is just one method out of many for testing pressure, so although it is important to have your eye pressure tested yearly, it is not necessary that the air puff test be used to do it.  The reason eye pressure is important is because high eye pressure can be an indicator of glaucoma, a disease which can lead to loss of vision and even blindness.

You can think of eye pressure similar to how you think about tire pressure.  A tire is filled with air while the eye is filled with important liquid nutrients. Too much liquid in the eye, just like too much air in a tire, will create a higher pressure and may cause permanent damage called glaucoma.

At our office we don’t use the air puff test because of how many patients hate or fear the puff. Instead we use a method called Goldmann tonometry or the “blue light” test, which is more comfortable to most patients and is also the most accurate method for testing eye pressure currently available. I do think it is important that you have your eye pressure measured at each visit, but if you dread the air puff then ask your doctor if another method is available.