Some aspects of ocular function after precurarization

• Published in: Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Vol. 21; no. 5; p. 385
• Main Authors: Eriksen, S, Bramsen, T, Hommelgaard, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-10-1977
• Subjects: Accommodation, Ocular - drug effects; Adult; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Eye - drug effects; Gallamine Triethiodide - pharmacology; Humans; Intraocular Pressure - drug effects; Muscles - drug effects; Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents - pharmacology; Pancuronium - pharmacology; Tubocurarine - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0001-5172
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1977.tb01236.x

Small doses of nondepolarizing relaxants are often recommended as prior medication to suxamethonium in order to avoid or attenuate the side effects elicited by the latter drug. After D-tubocurarine (0.05 mg/kg b.w. and 0.075 mg/kg b.w.) in unmedicated volunteers, a dose-dependent recession of the monocular near point of accomodation was recorded. This recession, which parallelled the decrease in grip strength, was 4 cm and 9 cm, respectively. The same doses evoked an exophoria of 14 and 17 prism diopters, respectively. Intraocular pressure was significantly lowered by D-tubocurarine 0.05 mg/kg b.w., from 2.01 kPa (15.1 mmHg) to 1.64 kPa (12.3 mmHg), and by pancuronium 0.015 mg/kg b.w. from 1.90 kPa (14.3 mmHg) to 1.44 kPa (10.8 mmHg). The decreases lasted for 7 min. Gallamine 0.3 mg/kg b.w. also decreased intraocular pressure, but to a lesser degree, and with statistical significance only during the fourth minute after administration. Relaxation of extraocular muscles may change the slightly ovoid shape of the eyeball into a more spherical one, thereby inducing a fall in intraocular pressure and a recession of the near point of accommodation.