During the last few years computerised perimetry has become a clinical reality. This new technique eliminates the operator's error, ensures reproducibility of test procedures and parameters and makes visual field testing of large numbers of patients possible. Great differences exist between computerised perimeters. Differences in hardware for example, the way in which stimuli or field charts are produced may be striking but even more important are differences in software, especially test algorithms. The results obtained with some instruments and test programmes are of such high quality that the same level of performance may be almost impossible to obtain with manual perimetry, at least in a clinical setting. Nevertheless, improvements can be expected in the future particularly in adaptive tests and in computerised interpretation of the fields.