Checking The Pressure of Eyes

Checking the eye pressure in an eyeball can be very important. Just like humans, our pets can suffer from serious conditions and diseases of the eye. Some of these conditions can increase the pressure in the eye ( eg Glaucoma ) or decrease the pressure ( eg Uveitis or inflammation ).

At Oakleigh Central Vet we have been able to measure the eye pressure with a tonometer. Our original one is a mechanical one that can be difficult and a little clumsy to use. Often sedation, local anaesthtic had to be used and if we couldn't get a good reading we would often refer to an ophthalmologist.

With this in mind, we have invested in an instrument called a Tonovet Plus. This machine takes the eye pressure by bouncing a small probe onto the eye. The pet sits with their eye open and the machine takes the pressure in about 1/10th of a second and most animals don't even know that the procedure has been done.

We can now do this measurement easily in consultations. In pets with unhealthy eyes or any breeds that a predisposed to glaucoma, we can keep a close watch on the health of their eyes