OSMOTIC EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN BLOOD AND INTRA-OCULAR FLUID AS INFLUENCED BY ANISOTONIC INJECTIONS

Abstract

A survey of the knowledge concerning the nature of the intra-ocular fluid reveals a fairly complete acquaintance with the inorganic and organic constituents of the aqueous humor but a rather incomplete understanding of the physical forces involved in the maintenance of the physicochemical relationship between the intra-ocular fluid and its source—the blood. A contribution concerning the measurement of one of the several forces may aid in a better interpretation of the formation and utilization of the intra-ocular fluid. Hitherto the osmotic pressure of the aqueous humor has been measured on pooled fluids or indirectly. Recently, we¹ found it possible to measure the osmotic pressure of the aqueous humor and blood in animals by a method introduced by Hill.² This procedure made it possible to study the osmotic changes produced in the intra-ocular fluid by the introduction of anisotonic solutions into the blood stream. Previous investigations on the influence