On the Distribution of Applanation Pressure

With the increasing utilization of Goldmann's applanation tonometry, a detailed and secure knowledge of the distribution of applanation pressure in the general population becomes of great clinical importance. The effective characteristics that pertain to tonometer design are relatively simple and precisely controlled as compared to those of the Schiotz tonometer. Thus, comparability of results obtained by different tonometers is markedly enhanced; this relative independence of results from the instrument further augments the clinical and epidemiologic usefulness of the knowledge of the distribution of applanation pressure in arriving at reliable and useful statistics and predictions. The fact that applanation pressure reading is a superior measure of intraocular pressure to that of Schiotz tonometry renders such distributions of great biologic value in studies pertaining to intraocular pressure and its changes in various biologic and disease categories. Little information is available in the literature regarding the distribution of applanation pressure readings in the