Effects of a Topical Anesthetic on Human Equivalent Oxygen Percentages (EOP) and Corneal Oxygen Flux Values

The response ratio, the defining parameter in determining Equivalent Oxygen Percentages (EOP), was calculated for several different test conditions on five subjects with and without the use of a commonly used topical comeal anesthetic (proparacaine 0.25%). In addition, corneal oxygen uptake (microliters per square centime‐ter per hour) was measured through the respective contact lenses by the method of Fatt and Rasson with and without this anesthetic. In all cases, there was no statistically significant difference found (p < 0.01) between anesthetized and unanesthetized corneas. Therefore, the limited use of a commonly used topical anesthetic in clinical doses appears to be permissible and seems to increase patient comfort and compliance during the procedure.