Morphologic and physiologic effects of thymoxamine on corneal endothelium and ciliary processes.

Either 0.2 or 0.02% thymoxamine hydrochloride was perfused across the endothelium of isolated rabbit corneas in a specular microscope. Treated corneas did not swell, compared to controls, when perfused with 0.02% thymoxamine, but swelled at 34 microns/hr after 0.2% thymoxamine compared to 10 microns/hr of controls. Morphologically, 0.2% thymoxamine caused many intracellular vacuoles, with far fewer changes after 0.02%. Replacement of the aqueous humor with 0.02% thymoxamine caused no effect on either the corneal endothelium or ciliary process, whereas 0.2% caused small, but significant, changes in both tissues.