Ocular disposition of acetaminophen and its metabolites following intravenous administration in rabbits.

Time-courses of both 'total' (unchanged plus metabolized) and unmetabolized acetaminophen were investigated in plasma and ocular tissues of rabbit after intravenous administration. The drug freely diffuses across the haemato-ocular barriers, reaching eye levels equal to those in the plasma; ocular concentrations are higher than those of all other investigated drugs. The time-course in aqueous is superimposable to that observed in the plasma; in other ocular tissues it is much slower. There is evidence of an ocular metabolism or a concentration into the eye of minor metabolites formed elsewhere.