Some types of tonometers do touch your eye.
For the probe type of tonometer the probe of the tonometer will touch your eye for a few seconds and should not be painful.
However there are some air puff types of tonometers that don't touch your eye.
Noncontact (or air-puff) tonometry does not touch your eye but uses a puff of air to flatten your cornea.
This type of tonometry is not the best way to measure intraocular pressure.
But it is often used as a simple way to check for high IOP and is the easiest way to test children.
You can buy a tonometer for at home use although a good tonometer can be expensive.
Although there are some cheaper models of tonometers that work pretty good but for best results you want the higher end tonometer.
A tonometer costs from as low as $650.00 for a basic tonometer to as much as $5,000.00 for higher end models of the tonometers.
Some tonometers cost even more and as much as $15,000.00
You can however buy cheaper models of tonometers for $40.00 but they are not as good.
If you want a good decent tonometer then you should expect to pay out as much as $500.00 to $600.00 for a good tonometer.
A good tonometer for people to buy and use at home is the Icare Tonometer which is now available to people in the USA.
The Icare® HOME tonometer device has been available to European glaucoma patients since 2014, and is now available to patients in the United States.
It uses a disposable probe to measure eye pressure, and can be used up to six times a day.
Some of the best tonometers although expensive are.
The “intelligent” Tonometer- Icare ic100 ($1,950.00)
Best for personal use- Icare home tonometer ($1,000.00)
A versatile and accurate tonometer- Reichert tono-pen avia ($1,590.00)
A credible and reliable tonometer- Reichert tono-pen XL ($1,290.00)
A normal result means your eye pressure is within the normal range.
The normal eye pressure range is 10 to 21 mm Hg.
The thickness of your cornea can affect measurements.
Normal eyes with thick corneas have higher readings, and normal eyes with thin corneas have lower readings.