Abstract
The effects of the aminoglycoside antibiotics gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin on the corneal epithelium were evaluated by measurement of oxygen uptake rate following a single 60 sec application of various concentrations of each (3, 10, and 20 mg/ml gentamicin and tobramycin; 10, 20, 30, and 50 mg/ml amikacin). Statistically significant (p<0.05, Student's t-test) depressions in the oxygen uptake rate were found 1 min after exposure to all of the solutions except amikacin 10 mg/ml. The oxygen uptake returned towards baseline by 30 min after exposure. Tobramycin caused less depression in oxygen uyptake rate at each concentration level and all measurement times up to 1 hr postexposure (p<0.05). Amikacin, at concentrations used topically (30-50 mg/ml), showed results similar to those with tobramycin (10-20 mg/ml).