Evaluation of Three Methods of Recording the Anterior Chamber Depth of the Eye

The depth of the anterior chamber was previously noted to vary in both normal and glaucomatous eyes.1The distance between the cornea and lens was recorded at successive intervals by means of slit-lamp photography. Since precautions were taken to avoid accommodation, the changes in distance were attributable to movements of the ocular diaphragm. Serial photographs yielded reproducible curves indicating the validity of the technique (Figs. 1 and 2). Since the variations were only 0.05-0.20 mm., it was felt desirable to obtain additional verification of the method. To this end, a number of experiments were carried out in which the depth of the anterior chamber was registered simultaneously with the photographic method and with two other attachments of the Zeiss slit lamp, Jaeger's instrument,2and Lobeck's ocular micrometer.3The photographic method as well as the other two, is based on the same principle. All three methods measure the