Effect of intraocular irrigating solutions on intracellular membrane potentials and swelling rate of isolated human and rabbit cornea.

Isolated human and rabbit corneas were incubated in glutathione bicarbonate Ringer solution (GBR), balanced salt solution (BSS), or 0.9% NaCl solution. The swelling rate of human corneas was 25.5 micron/hr in GBR and significantly increased to 32.7 in BSS and 66.1 in NaCl. The epithelial intracellular potential of human cornea was constant at about 60 mV up to 5 hr of incubation in GBR and decreased continuously to 40 mV in BSS and NaCl. Endothelial cell potentials were stable for up to 3 hr of incubation in GBR or BSS and decreased from a control value of about 18 mV to 10 mV 2 hr after bathing in NaCl. Qualitatively similar data were obtained in the isolated rabbit cornea. The results demonstrate the advantage of GBR as an intraocular irrigating solution.