Effects of vitrectomy and phakectomy on the drainage of the vitreous compartment

Plastic microspheres (7–10 μm in diameter), 51Cr-labeled autologous red blood cells (RBC), and 125I-tagged homologous albumin were injected into the vitreous space of vitrectomized phakic and aphakic rabbits. The drainage into the aqueous compartments and blood circulation was assessed. In phakic eyes, there was practically no movement of microspheres and RBC into the anterior chamber over a period of 19 days. In aphakia, vitreous clearance improved but only 1%–3% of labeled RBC appeared in the blood circulation during the first 3–4 days. About 40%–70% of the 125I-albumin injected left the eye within 24 h, as compared to 15%–25% in phakic rabbits.