The penetration of detergents into adult and infant eyes: possible hazards of additives to ophthalmic preparations.

In studies of surfactant penetration into the eye, radiolabelled detergent was found to penetrate the rabbit cornea, to accumulate readily in ocular tissues and to be released slowly. Repeated applications led to increasing binding of the detergent. Permeability, ocular and systemic uptake and retention were all greater in juvenile than in adult rabbits. Preliminary tests of the effects of surfactants on ocular cells in vitro using concentrations found in vivo, suggest that some low-level effects might occur, particularly in juveniles.