Autonomic drug effects after chronic lowering of ocular cholinergic input. I. Pupillary responses

Cholinergic input to the anterior segment of the eye was chronically lowered by ciliary ganglionectomy in cats. Experimental eyes developed supersensitivity to the miotic effects of pilocarpine. In addition, these parasympathetically denervated eyes exhibited a moderate subsensitivity to the mydriatic effects of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and isoproterenol. Iris preparations accordingly afford the unique opportunity to study the two opposite extremes of normal drug sensitivity simultaneously in the same tissue.