Aqueous concentrations of fluorouracil after intravitreal injection. Normal, vitrectomized, and silicone-filled eyes

G. Orr, D. C. Tervaert and J. S. Lean

Treatment of postoperative vitreoretinopathy with combined intravitreal fluorouracil and liquid silicone may result in increased corneal and retinal toxicity. We therefore investigated the movement of carbon 14-labeled fluorouracil from the vitreous into the anterior chamber in normal rabbit eyes and in eyes filled with either balanced salt solution or silicone after vitrectomy and lensectomy, with or without preservation of the anterior capsule. Only 0.56% of intravitreally injected fluorouracil was recovered from the anterior chamber over a four-hour period in normal eyes. This impermeability was partly maintained if the anterior capsule was retained (9.98%), particularly if the eye contained silicone (2.52%). The greatest amount was recovered when both lens capsules were removed (43.7%). Corneal toxicity is most likely to occur in this situation.