Relative permeability of retina and retinal pigment epithelium to the diffusion of tritiated water from vitreous to choroid.

The movement of intravitreally injected tritiated water from the vitreous to the choroid was accelerated by the removal of intervening retina. Both rate of transfer and peak choroidal levels of the tracer were increased, but the proportion of the intravitreal dose recovered was unaltered. In contrast, the movement of tritiated water after diffuse damage to the retinal pigment epithelium by sodium iodate was similar to that of control eyes. The main resistance to the diffusion of this tracer from the vitreous to the choroid is the retina. The differential permeability of the retina and the retinal pigment epithelium may have a role in normal retinal adhesion.