Naka-Rushton equation parameters in electroretinogram analysis of daunomycin effects on retinal function

Intraocular daunomycin may inhibit intravitreal cellular proliferation in proliferative vitreoretinopathy after rhegmatogenous retinal detachments and retinal reattachment surgery. Doses of 15 nmol or more have shown histological retinal toxicity when injected into the intact vitreous of rabbit eyes. We injected 30, 20, 10 and 0 nmol doses of daunomycin into rabbit eyes with gas-compressed vitreous to better simulate the clinical conditions in which it would be used. We then evaluated effects on retinal function by examining scotopic b-wave amplitudes, measured for a four log unit set of intensities. We used the three independent parameters Rmax, log K, and n of the Naka-Rushton equation to measure changes in retinal function. All three doses of daunomycin failed to measurably depress retinal function (i.e., there were no dose-related losses of Rmax, log K or n) in this experimental model. We used this approach to monitor alterations in retinal function since it can show selective changes in each parameter. This selectivity is an advantage over monitoring retinal function with single intensities or comparisons limited solely to electroretinogram amplitudes.