Eur J Anat, 9 (2): 89-93 (2005)

Quantitative central corneal anatomy and anaesthetic eye drops effects: Comparison between 0.4% oxybuprocaine and a combination of 0.1% tetracaine and 0.4% oxybuprocaine

Asensio-Romero I., Palanca-Sanfrancisco J.M., Gil M.G., Alonso L., Rahhal M.S., Martinez Soriano F., Sanchis-Gimeno J.A.

Department of Anaesthesiology, Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, Valencia, Spain; Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain; Department of Anaesthesiology, General University Hospital, Valencia, Spain; Rahhal Ophthalmology Clinica, Valencia, Spain; Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain; Apartado de Correos 15038, E-46080 Valencia, Spain

ABSTRACT We aimed to analyse the changes in central corneal thickness values following the instillation of 0.4% oxybuprocaine eye drops and following a combination of 0.1% tetracaine and 0.4% oxybuprocaine eye drops. Orbscan pachymetry (Orbscan II Corneal Topography System; Orbscan, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA) was carried out before and three minutes after the instillation of 0.4% oxybuprocaine eye drops, and before and three minutes after the instillation of a combination of 0.1% tetracaine and 0.4% oxybuprocaine eye drops in 35 healthy subjects (n=35; aged 20-30 years). After the instillation of 0.4% oxybuprocaine eye drops there was a mean increase in central corneal thickness of 25±+11 microns. After the combination of 0.1% tetracaine and 0.4% oxybuprocaine eye drops it rose to 48±20 microns. The combination of 0.1% tetracaine and 0.4% oxybuprocaine anaesthetic eye drops causes higher increases in central corneal thickness values than 0.4% oxybuprocaine eye drops.

Keywords: anesthetic agent, eye drops, oxybuprocaine, tetracaine, adult, anatomical variation, anatomy, article, cornea thickness, correlation coefficient, drug effect, drug instillation, female, human, human experiment, intraocular pressure, male, normal human, normal value, observer variation, quantitative analysis