Checking Eye Pressure at Home: What Glaucoma Patients and Doctors Report

When a parent or grandparent in Oak Park has glaucoma, the whole family often becomes involved in their care, from rides to appointments to reminders about drops. One question I hear more often is whether eye pressure can be checked at home. A new study in the Journal of Glaucoma looked at how patients and doctors feel about home pressure monitoring.

Why eye pressure is hard to capture

Eye pressure (intraocular pressure, or IOP) is the main treatable risk factor in glaucoma. But pressure changes throughout the day and over longer periods. As a commentator on the study put it, a few office visits a year give doctors only a snapshot of a much bigger picture. Home tonometry, measuring eye pressure with a handheld device at home, aims to fill in those gaps.

What the study found

Researchers at Duke University ran two surveys: one of 157 American Glaucoma Society members and one of 188 patients who had used home devices. At the time, the only FDA-approved devices for this purpose were iCare Home and iCare Home2.

• 59% of the surveyed glaucoma specialists had prescribed home tonometry.
• Among those prescribers, 85% said the home readings influenced their management, and 92% said the readings increased their confidence in treatment.
• More than 80% usually prescribed it for at least moderate glaucoma, and 73% advised using it for no longer than a few weeks.
• 72% of patients said the devices were easy to use, and 47% said using them decreased their anxiety.

The barriers

Cost was the biggest obstacle reported by both patients and doctors. Nearly all patients (94%) paid some of the cost, and 83% paid the entire cost out of pocket. Doctors who did not prescribe home devices expressed more concern about patient stress and the accuracy of the readings. The researchers suggested that proving better outcomes and integrating home data into medical records could build trust and, eventually, insurance coverage.

What families should know

• Home monitoring does not replace office exams, nerve scans, or visual field tests; it adds context.
• It is usually used for a limited period to answer a specific question, such as whether pressure spikes at certain times of day.
• Ask about cost up front, since devices are often not covered.
• Whatever the monitoring plan, the most important thing is using prescribed drops consistently.
• Glaucoma runs in families, so relatives of a person with glaucoma should have regular eye exams too.

Our role

Khanna Vision Institute evaluates and manages glaucoma for families from Oak Park, Agoura Hills, and Westlake Village at our nearby Westlake Village office. We can talk through whether extra pressure monitoring makes sense for you.

Newer imaging tests are also changing how doctors track glaucoma; Encino Lasik explains one of them.

Source: At-home IOP-measuring device decreased patient anxiety, increased doctor confidence (Healio, 10/13/2026). This article is an educational summary written by Khanna Vision Institute and is not a substitute for medical advice.