Octafluorocyclobutane in vitreous and aqueous humor replacement

Vitreous replacement with air, pure octafluorocyclobutane (C4F8), and mixtures of 40% C4F8 and 60% air was done in owl monkeys to determine ocular toxicity and duration of gas within the vitreous compartment. Large volumes of gas mixture and pure C4F8 caused posterior subcapsular cataract formation. Pure C4F8 expands in the vitreous within 24 to 48 hours. A 1.0-ml mixture of 40% C4F8 and 60% air lasted 12.7 days and did not cause ocular changes. However, anterior chamber aqueous replacement with pure C4F8 or gas mixture resulted in cataract production. Twenty-four and fourty-eight hours after injection of 0.1-ml pure C4F8 in the vitreous of experimental rabbits, presence of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide was shown by gas chromatographic analysis. This finding supports the hypothesis of volume expansion secondary to diffusion of above-mentioned gases inside the C4F8 gas bubble.