A photogrammetric method to measure fluid movement across isolated frog retinal pigment epithelium.

Bullfrog retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid explants were mounted in an Ussing chamber modified so that the side bathing the choroid was completely sealed. Net fluid movement across the RPE and into or out of the sealed side of the chamber forced the tissue to assume a convex or concave shape. Photogrammetry was used to measure this tissue bowing by analyzing the displacement of the image produced on the RPE surface by an off-axis laser. Under baseline conditions, measured net fluid movements were always in the retina-to-choroid direction with a mean of 7.6 microliter cm-2 h-1. Potential artifacts from a variety of sources have been examined and shown to be insignificant.