Measure eye pressure

About this visual support

Measuring eye pressure is quick for an adult, but for a child it can be one of the more uncomfortable exams. An instrument is brought close to the eye, sometimes with a small puff of air or a touch, and at the same time the child has to keep the eye open and not blink. The combination of something near the eye and the demand not to protect it goes against the body's instinct.

Visual support makes the moment understandable by showing it in calm steps in advance. When the child has seen what the instrument does, that it only measures and does not hurt, and how briefly it takes, the worry drops. What frightens is rarely the measurement itself but the uncertainty, and that disappears when the steps are known.

A tip: practise keeping the eye open for a short while at home and count together, so the child knows it goes fast and that they can manage it. A small preparation makes the reality less frightening. In the Routined app you can build a short picture series before the visit that you go through several times, so the child recognises the situation when it comes.