Influence of ethanol ingestion on the cornea

The corneal thickness variations on both eyes of thirteen healthy volunteers were measured in absence and presence of ethanol with ultrasound pachymetry. During ethanol ingestion, to a serum ethanol concentration of 0.98 +/- 0.22 g/l, a small and transient, but statistically significant increase of the corneal thickness appeared (3.0 +/- 3.4% right eye - 4.3 +/- 2.9% left eye, p < 0.05). We suggest that ethanol causes a transient depression of the endothelial pump activity. The measured effect on the cornea is too small to cause reduced visual acuity on Snellen chart. However, a resulting loss of contrast sensitivity may have consequences for car driving and safety work.