Effect of ascorbic acid on intraocular pressure of normal and buphthalmic rabbits.

Compared with serum the aqueous humor of the eye is high in ascorbic acid. The administation of ascorbic acid appears to have a transient hypotonic effect on intraocular pressure in normal eyes. Its effect on glaucomatous eyes is not as well defined particularly in the case of the rabbit. In this communication we shown the ocular hypotensive effal (+/+) or have hereditary glaucoma (bu/bu). We also show that the transport of ascorbate from the serum to the aqueous is much slower in buphthalamic rabbits than in normal controls. Osmolarity is suggested as a possible hypotensive mechanism and a differential fluid transport rate between the blood and the aqueous for the different genotypes is suggested as a possible mechanism for the difference in duration.