Quantitative assessment of the permeability of the rat blood-retinal barrier to small water-soluble non-electrolytes.

1. The passive permeability of the blood-retinal barrier (b.r.b.) to the water-soluble non-electrolytes, sucrose and mannitol, was determined using a multiple time point-graphical approach as has been used in the assessment of blood-brain barrier (b.b.b.) permeability. 2. The calculated permeability surface area product for the b.r.b. for sucrose was 0.44 (+/- 0.081 S.E. of mean) X 10(-5) ml g-1 s-1 (n = 20) and for mannitol was 1.25 (+/- 0.30) X 10(-5) ml g-1 s-1 (n = 18). These values are similar and comparable to those found for the capillaries in the brain (P greater than 0.05) and significantly different from zero (P less than 0.01). 3. Data on the concentrations of sucrose in different parts of the eye show that the permeability of the blood-retinal barrier, rather than the more permeable blood-aqueous barrier permeability, was being measured by our technique.