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Glite Dictionary
tonometer

tonometer

8.6
A device that measures the pressure inside the eye
  • noun
  • /təˈnɒmɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tonómetro
  • At the clinic, the nurse explained how a tonometer works to assess eye health.

Examples

  • She felt nervous as the tonometer measured the pressure in her eyes.

  • During my eye exam, the doctor used a tonometer to check my intraocular pressure.

  • Intraocular pressure was measured with an applanation tonometer; patients whose tension exceeded 21 mm Hg were also evaluated with an automatic visual field measurement.

    Academic text (1998)

Synonyms

pressure gauge
vstonometer
  • Specialized
3 3.8

A device that measures how hard a gas or liquid pushes inside a system

is used for eye internal pressure measurement rather than system fluids
manometer
vstonometer
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A device that measures the pressure of gas or liquid

focuses on measuring pressure inside the eye rather than gases or liquids
tonograph
vstonometer
  • Specialized
9.9

A machine that measures pressure inside the eye

measures pressure directly rather than producing a record

Surface Forms

tonometer singular
tonometers plural

Morphology

tonometer = tono + meter

This is a technical formation from the combining form 'tono-' and the measuring suffix '-meter', but its medical meaning is not readily inferable for an average learner.

Etymology

Tonometer comes from the parts tono- meaning 'tone' or 'tension' and -meter meaning 'measure', like the familiar thermometer. So a tonometer is a tool that 'measures tension', which is why doctors use it to check pressure inside the eye.