Going to visit the eye doctor is a mostly painless and pleasant experience. After all, taking care of your eyes is an extremely important activity as is receiving the necessary adjustments in your prescription to your corrective lenses.
There is one test, in particular, however, that some patients dislike intensely. That is what is commonly referred to as the eye puff test.
The procedure for this test is that the patient rests comfortably on the non-contact tonometry (NCT) machine’s chin rest. You will then fixate on a light inside the machine, as the doctor or another trained professional will puff a small burst of air at your open eye.
It is completely painless, and no instruments touch your eye.
Ironically, although many people have an aversion to this regimen, most don’t know what the actual reason for the test is and why it’s so necessary.
The machine calculates your intraocular pressure (IOP) based on your eye’s resistance to the puff of air. If you have high eye pressure, you may be at risk for, or have, glaucoma.
A person generally has no warning signs of glaucoma until they already have suffered profound vision loss.
Consequently, the eye puff test is essential to rule out early signs of damage to the optic nerve and to protect your vision.