[Environmental pH and corneal oxygen flux (author's transl)]

The instillation of ophthalmic solutions can cause substantial change to tear pH. Wilst alkaline changes of appropriate magnitude to the anterior corneal environment appear to have little effect on corneal oxygen uptake, acidic changes in the same range can cause a decrease in this measure of corneal integrity. The effect takes some time to develop, and is a function of both the pH and molarity of the bathing solution.