Pachymetry

What is a Pachymetry test?

A pachymetry test is a painless and quick procedure that measures the thickness of the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped front part of the eye. 

Having too thin of a cornea can indicate conditions like keratoconus, where the cornea thins and bulges out while having a thicker cornea can indicate other conditions. A thick cornea can also cause false low reading of eye pressure while a thinner cornea can cause false high readings.

This measurement is crucial for various eye health assessments and treatment planning, particularly for conditions like glaucoma and before refractive surgery like LASIK.

What is the test used for?

The primary purpose of pachymetry is to determine the thickness of the cornea. This can aid in diagnosing and monitoring conditions like glaucoma, assessing suitability for corrective surgeries, and treating corneal diseases.

Pachymetry is important to diagnosing glaucoma because corneal thickness impacts the intraocular pressure measurements. Having accurate eye pressure is important to diagnosing glaucoma, which is why it’s important to understand the thickness of the cornea.

Pachymetry is incredibly important for corrective surgeries, like LASIK, because it determines if the patient’s cornea is safe to operate on. If the cornea is too thin, the patient may not be able to undergo surgery because it must be of a minimum thickness.

Lastly, pachymetry can diagnose and monitor corneal conditions like keratoconus, Fuchs’ dystrophy, and corneal edema because they relate to the thickness of the cornea.

How is the test done?

A pachymeter, either a handheld ultrasound device or a laser scanner, is used to take the measurement. 

In an ultrasound pachymetry, eye drops are applied to numb the cornea. Then a small problem is placed on the cornea. The probe emits high frequency sound waves that travel through the cornea. The device measures the time it takes for the sound waves to return, which correlates to the thickness of the cornea.

In a laser or optical coherence tomography pachymeter, the patient investigates the device, and the cornea is scanned with light waves. The device then generates an image of the cornea. A software analyzes this picture to determine the thickness.

Duration

A pachymetry test can take 1-5 minutes per eye, and is fairly quick, easy, and painless.

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