An Autoradiographic Study of the Penetration of Subconjunctivally Injected Hydrocortisone into the Normal and Inflamed Rabbit Eye.

The purpose of this study was to visualize the actual route of penetration of subconjunctivally injected hydrocortisone into the rabbit eye, and also to determine if lid movement or intraocular inflammation influenced this penetration. Albino rabbits, each with one eye inflamed by an intraoitreal injection of 30 per cent bovine albumin and the other eye normal, were treated with subconjanctivally injected hydrocortisone to each eye in the superior temporal quadrant. Half of the animals were then anesthetized to prevent normal lid movement, and the remainder received no anesthesia, thus maintaining normal lid movement. The eyes of all the animals were then studied at specific time intervals with a dry-freezing technique and two different methods of autoradiography. This study indicated that subconjunctival hydrocortisone penetrates directly into the eye. Penetration was increased in the presence of inflammation but was unchanged as a remit of lid movement. On the basis of these observations, it woidd appear that subconjunctival injections of hydrocorlisone, to produce the maximum effect with the minimum dosage, should be immediately adjacent to the intraocular inflammation under treatment, rather than placing the injection haphazardly or always in the superior temporal quadrant, tohich is open the case.