The Effect of Antibiotics in the Irrigation Solution on Corneal Endothelial Function

ABSTRACT

The practice of adding antibiotics to anterior chamber-irrigating solutions as a prophylaxis for endophthalmitis has been used recently.To evaluate corneal endothelial toxicity of different concentrations of antibiotics in irrigating solutions, rabbit corneas were mounted in the in-vitro dual-cham-bered specular microscope and the endothelium was perfused with glu-tathione-bicarbonate Ringer solution (GBR)containing antibiotics such as ofloxacin, vancomycin or cephapirin.Mate corneas were perfused with GBR alone and used as control.Corneal thickness was measured every 15 minutes throughout the perfusion period and corneal swelling rates were calculated. Swelling rates of corneas perfused with 2 /ml or 5 /ml ofloxacin, 60 microgram/ml or1 0 /ml vancomycin, and 10 /ml or 20 /ml cephapirin was not significantly different from that of control (p>0.05).The corneas perfused with 20 /ml cephapirin deswelled probably due to high osmolarity of it.Perfusion with 10 /ml vancomycin plus 5 /ml ofloxacin did not show corneal swelling compared to control (p>0.05).This study demonstrates that the above concentra-tions of antibiotics in irrigating solutions do not affect endothelial function of the rabbit cornea.