Studies on the cornea. VII. Effects of perfusion with a Ca++-free medium on the corneal endothelium.

Paired isolated corneas were perfused in vitro with a modified KEI medium according to the method of Mishima and Kudo. One eye of each pair was perfused with the complete medium and the other with a Ca-free medium. Progressive corneal swelling occurred in the Ca-free medium. The swollen corneas had a greatly increased passive permeability to nontransported nonelectrolytes, suggesting a physical change in the permeability barrier. Electron microscopic examination of the siooUen corneas showed that the apical functional complexes (terminal bars) underwent progressive disintegration in the Ca++-free medium and that the degree of this disintegration was correlated with the degree of swelling.