Immediate contact orbitonometer and a study on intraorbital pressure of normal people

Objective To study the instruments for estimating intraorbital pressure of normal men and the factors affecting it.Methods The immediate contact orbitonometers designed and made by ourselves were used to measures the intraorbital pressures and the prominences of 662 eyes of 331 normal men.Results Measured with this kind of orbitonometer, the intraorbital pressure of the normal men was 5.52~9.00 kPa. There was a high negative correlation between the age and the intraorbital pressure ( r = - 0 97). The intraorbital pressure was positively correlated with the amount of exophthalmos ( r = 0.61).Conclusion The intraorbital pressure and exophthalmos can be measured at the same time with this kind of orbitonometer. This orbitonometer is a simple, non invasive, objective technique for measuring intraorbital pressure. The intraorbital pressure may reveal the amount and the property of the tissue in the orbit and provide diagnostic signs of the orbital diseases.