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A non-contact tonometer is an eye pressure measuring device that does not touch the eye. It uses a quick puff of air to flatten a small part of the cornea and estimate intraocular pressure. The test is often called an air-puff test. It is commonly used during eye exams and glaucoma screening.
read more about noncontact tonometer ...A non-contact tonometer is used to measure intraocular pressure, or IOP. Eye pressure is one factor used in screening and monitoring glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The device is useful because it is quick, noninvasive, and does not usually require numbing drops. Eye care professionals interpret the result with optic nerve findings, visual field testing, corneal thickness, symptoms, and other exam data.
The patient places the chin and forehead against the supports and looks at a target inside the device. The tonometer releases a brief puff of air toward the cornea. Sensors detect how the cornea responds to the air pulse and convert that response into an eye pressure reading. The device may take multiple readings to improve reliability.
Non-contact tonometry does not touch the eye and usually does not need anesthetic drops. Contact tonometry, such as applanation tonometry, touches the numbed cornea with a measuring surface. Contact methods may be more precise in many clinical settings. Non-contact tonometry is often useful for screening, quick checks, or patients who prefer no eye contact.
Non-contact tonometer readings can be affected by corneal thickness, corneal stiffness, eye movement, blinking, poor alignment, tearing, or very high or low pressure ranges. The air puff can startle patients but should not be painful. A high reading does not diagnose glaucoma by itself, and a normal reading does not rule it out. Sudden eye pain, halos, nausea, red eye, or vision loss needs urgent eye care.
No. It measures eye pressure with a puff of air and does not directly touch the cornea.
No. The puff may feel surprising or uncomfortable for a moment, but it should not be painful.
No. It measures eye pressure, which is one part of glaucoma evaluation. Diagnosis requires a full eye exam and other testing when needed.
Readings can vary because of corneal thickness, blinking, alignment, time of day, measurement method, and eye condition.
Eye (Intraocular) Pressure: What It Is & How It's Measured. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24552-eye-intraocular-pressure. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
Tonometry. StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493225/. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
Applanation Tonometry. StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582132/. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
IOP and Tonometry. EyeWiki. https://eyewiki.org/IOP_and_Tonometry. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.
Comparative evaluation of intraocular pressure with an air-puff tonometer versus a Goldmann applanation tonometer. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23293511/. Date Accessed June 18, 2026.