Evaluation of intraocular pressure in conscious Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) by means of rebound tonometry

Abstract

Objective: To determine intraocular pressure (IOP) in healthy Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni).

Animals: 26 outdoor-housed Hermann's tortoises (13 males and 13 females); body weight ranged from 255 to 2,310 g, and age ranged from 4 to > 50 years.

Procedures: After a preliminary ophthalmic evaluation was performed, IOP was measured by means of a rebound tonometer in both eyes of each tortoise. Three measurements were obtained for each eye; successive measurements were obtained from alternate eyes. Each measurement was based on the mean of 6 values automatically provided by the rebound tonometer. Statistical analysis was used to evaluate correlations between variables and to identify sex- or size-related IOP variations, and changes in IOP over multiple measurements.

Results: Mean ± SEM IOP of the 52 eyes was 15.74 ± 0.20 mm Hg (range, 9 to 22 mm Hg). Results for t tests did not reveal significant differences in IOP between the right and left eyes or between males and females. A significant moderate negative correlation (r = -0.41; r(2) = 0.169) between IOP and body weight was detected. Results of repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant increase in IOP over multiple measurements.

Conclusions and clinical relevance: Rebound tonometry was a practical and rapid means of determining IOP in small- to medium-sized tortoises that required minimal manual restraint of the animals. Establishing IOP values in healthy Hermann's tortoises will provide a reference frame for use during complete ophthalmic examinations, thus allowing clinicians to diagnose a broader spectrum of ocular pathological conditions in tortoises.