title: Rabbit diurnal ocular tension variations.
abstract: Ocular tension recorded by pneumatonography was estimated at 4-hour intervals during six consecutive 24-hour periods in 8 New Zealand rabbits. The animals had been acclimatized for more than 8 weeks to artificial light from 08.00 to 20.00 h and dark for the other 12 h. Inter- and intrarabbit consistency was enough to allow the generalization that the lowest pressure occurred at noon (mean -0.8 mm Hg from baseline average), while the highest pressures (mean + 1.2 mm Hg above baseline average) occurred at 16.00 and 20.00 h. Only three other studies have measured rabbit ocular tensions throughout 24 h, but for shorter periods: one observed a light-induced rise as in the present study, but the other two studies found a rise during darkness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Yamanashi Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsukahara
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D013997:Time Factors; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular