What is a pachymeter?

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A pachymeter is a hand-held device used to measure the depth of the thinnest point of your cornea. Along with front and back surface topography, the thickness of your cornea is one of the most important safety factors in laser refractive surgery. During your pre-operative screening, the technician or optometrist should take these measurements, topography and pachymetry, to make surgery as safe as possible.

Using a pachymeter together with a topography device provides very accurate data, and ensures that the thickness of these areas of the cornea is within acceptable safety limits.

The most advanced and accurate device is the Artemis™ VHF digital ultrasound. This measures corneal thickness more accurately than either the Pentacam™ or hand-held ultrasound machines. It produces a 3D image that displays the thinnest point with great accuracy, and displays a profile of the depth of your cornea. This technology is currently only available in a handful of clinics around the world.