Intraocular response to cotton, collagen and cellulose in the rabbit.

Cotton, cellulose and collagen were each implanted into the anterior chamber and anterior vitreous of rabbit eyes. The ocular inflammatory response was studied clinically over a 28-day period and histologically at seven and 28 days. In general, cotton was the least reactive, with collagen and cellulose moderately reactive. Cellulose was associated with progressive inflammation and marked granulomatous response. Vitreous implants showed minimal inflammation, with virtually no response to cotton. These findings support current literature suggesting that the use of cellulose in ophthalmic surgery may increase the risk of postoperative granulomatous inflammation.