Some Studies on the Non-Swelling Cornea

ABSTRACT

Non-swelling cornea was prepared according to the method of Payrau. 1) Rabbit cornea without epithelium was treated with the vapor of 0.04% formalin at 4 degrees C for 48 hours, and then dehydrated with silica gel at room temperature for 48 hours. 2) Dehydrated cornea was soaked in the neutral solution of 0.5% L-lysine HCI for one hour, and in the neutral solution of 0.5% L-arginin HCl for one hour successively. 3) Non-swelling cornea was preserved in the desiccator with silica gel or in 0.02% merthiolate solution. Authors compared the hydration ratio of the non-swelling cornea with untreated cornea. Authors employed the chromotropic acid method to measure the amount of formaldehyde in the non-s-welling cornea and compared with the cornea treated only with formalin showed that: 1) Non-swelling cornea became hydrated within 30 minutes and remained constant thereafter in 0.9% saline solution at room temperature, whereas formalin treated cornea hydrated enormously within 3 hours. 2) The amount of formaldehyde in the non-swelling cornea was on the average 0.129 micro M/mg dry weight, and 3) The amount of formaldehyde in the formalin treated cornea was on the average 0.325 micro M/mg dry weight.