Effects of solutes on the swelling pressure of the corneal stroma.

The chemical environment of bare, excised rabbit corneal stroma was varied to determine the effects of solutes on the swelling pressure. Measurements of changes in the thickness of the stroma are converted to hydration units which are in turn converted to a change in swelling pressure at the initial hydration. The order of effects on swelling pressure are compared to the Hofmeister series for polyelectrolyte gels and the results are analyzed in the context of a structural theory of the swelling pressure of corneal stroma proposed by Hart and Farrell and based on the gel properties of the stroma.