Can patients guess their intraocular pressure?

Abstract

PurposeTo determine whether patients can guess their intraocular pressure (IOP). DesignPatient survey. MethodsWe asked consecutive patients to guess their IOP and then indicate the IOP and the symptoms that allowed them to guess. ResultsOf 132 patients, 22 (17%) believed they could guess their IOP, usually based on a periocular symptom (n = 20, 91%). Nine of these patients (45%) correctly identified whether they were below or above the pressure indicated by the symptom. In two patients who required no symptoms to guess and in nine whose IOP was above their symptom threshold, the mean difference of the guessed IOP from the actual IOP did not differ (± 3.3 mm Hg) from that of control patients (± 2.1 mm Hg, n = 50; r = .19). ConclusionsPatients who believe they can guess their IOP appear as often inaccurate as accurate in assessing their IOP related to a symptom threshold and as accurate as patients who claim they cannot guess their IOP.