The Use of an Opacitometer to Compare the In Vitro Cornea Opacifying Effects of Timolol With and Without Benzalkonium Chloride

We have evaluated a new in vitro opacitometer method as an alternative to the in vivo Draize test for ocular irritancy. Several concentrations of timolol maleate (timolol) with or without 0.005% benzalkonium chloride were applied to porcine isolated corneas which were either intact or with the epithelium, endothelium, or both epithelium and endothelium removed. Corneal opacities were measured using an opacitometer. In general, timolol with benzalkonium chloride caused a greater degree of opacity to develop in the cornea than did timolol alone. At the lower concentrations of timolol, the increased opacity probably represented additive effects of the two compounds. However, at the highest concentration of timolol (5 x 10 ²M), there was an enhanced opacification in the presence of benzalkonium chloride, which may have been due to an increase in penetration, particularly through the epithelium. Timolol caused a greater degree of opacity to develop in the isolated intact porcine corneas when the drug was applied to the endothelial surface, than when applied to the epithelial surface or to both the epithelial and endothelial surfaces. However, timolol with benzalkonium chloride caused a greater degree of opacity in the intact cornea, when the drug was applied to both surfaces than when it was applied only to the epithelial or the endothelial surface.