Comparison of first, second, and third versus the average of six probe-corneal touches for intraocular measurement of two rebound tonometers in healthy horses

The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements obtained from first, second, and third probe-cornea touch (PCT) and compare them with the average of six PCTs using two rebound tonometers in horses. This study enrolled a total of thirty-eight stallions, comprising of 24 Arabian horses and 14 cross-breeds (with an average age of 8 ± 3 years). The IOP measurements of first, second, and third, as well as the average of six PCTs were obtained using either Tonovet (TV) or Tonovet Plus (TV+) rebound tonometers. The mean differences (95% limits of agreement) between the average of six PCTs and the first, second, and third PCTs were 0.1 (-4.8 to 5), 0.2 (-4.8 to 4.5), and 0.2 (-3.6 to 4.0) mmHg with TV, respectively. With TV+, the differences were 0.3 (-6.6 to 7.2), 1.1 (-8.6 to 10.8), and -0.2 (-3.6 to 4.0) mmHg, respectively. Compared to the average of six PCTs, only 89.5%, 92.1%, and 97.4% of IOP measurements obtained from TV and 78.9%, 73.3%, and 65.8% of IOP measurements obtained from TV+ were within 4 mmHg of the average of six PCTs for first, second, and third PCTs, respectively. In conclusion, the measurement of IOP in the first PCT achieved best agreement with the IOP measurement of six average PCTs. Therefore, the first PCT could be considered as an alternative option for measuring IOP in horses when obtaining an average of six PCTs is not feasible.