Biochemical studies on the use of sodium hyaluronate in the anterior eye segment. IV. The protective efficacy of the corneal endothelium

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Abstract
We devised an apparatus to add constant mechanical force to the corneal endothelium, and the protective efficacy of sodium hyaluronate to the corneal endothelium was determined quantitatively using an image analyzer. When the corneal endothelium was coated with a 1% solution of 800K or 2150K sodium hyaluronate, the damaged area was significantly less than cases having a coating with a 1% solution of 200K sodium hyaluronate or phosphate buffered saline which was the solvent of sodium hyaluronate. The water uptake of damaged cornea was also investigated using tritiated water. The cornea coated with 800K or 2150K sodium hyaluronate showed the same water uptake as the normal cornea, but the cornea coated with 200K sodium hyaluronate or phosphate buffered saline showed a significantly higher uptake. These results suggest that a 1% solution of 800K or 2150K sodium hyaluronate protects the corneal endothelium from mechanical damages.