V. Dexamethasone Alcohol

Topical application of a commercially available aqueous suspension of dexamethasone alcohol, 0.1%, produced measurable quantities of the steroid in both the cornea and in the aqueous humor under all three experimental ocular conditions studied. Drug bioavailability was greatest after removal of the corneal epithelium, but the alcohol derivative of dexamethasone also penetrates through the intact corneal epithelium. Comparison of our present findings with previous experimental data from this laboratory confirms the superiority of an aqueous vehicle over petrolatum ointment for delivering dexamethasone to the eye.