RESUMO
Objective To evaluate the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin(rhEPO)on pressure induced retinal ischemic injury in rats.Methods The fluorogold(FG)tracing technique was used to observe the survival rate of the retinal ganglion cells(RGCs).Retinal ischemia was induced by increasing the intraocular pressure to 102 mmHg for 60 min in 20 Long Evans rats,then 5 ml rhEPO was injected into the right vitreous chamber immediately and normal saline into the left vitreous chamber as vehicle controls.Another 5 rats without any treatment served as normal controls.All animals were sacrificed at 1,4,7 or 14 d after reperfusion and RGCs were counted to assess the effect of rhEPO.Results The RGCs in eyes treated with intravitreal rhEPO were significantly higher than those in vehicle controls(P