[en] The transport was studied of rubidium and sodium through the rabbit cornea aiming at ascertainment of whether or not corneal permeability was different for both elements, of the dynamics of elimination of both elements and how the processes were affected by equinormal salts and hydroxides used in the application of sodium and rubidium cations. ²²Na and ⁸⁶Rb were used as tracers. Stripes of chromatographic papers were saturated with ²²NaCl, ²²NaOH, ⁸⁶RbCl and ⁸⁶RbOH, respectively and applied to the corneas of experimental animals. The rabbits were sacrificed immediately, 10 and 60 min after administration. Radioactivity measurements were carried out in the chromatographic stripes removed from the rabbit eyes, in cut-off corneas, in intracorneal fluid samples, and in the rest of the bulb tissue. The penetration was found much higher for cations contained in hydroxides rather than in salts while the difference between sodium and rubidium was negligible. The retention of ⁸⁶Rb after 60 min was significantly higher than that of ²²Na and the elimination was significantly higher for the cations contained in hydroxides than in salts. Nearly all radioactivity in the hydroxides was accounted for ⁸⁶Rb whose penetration was slow and retention time long while ²²Na penetrated in a significantly lower amount and its retention was shorter. On the other hand, while the transport of both cations through the eye chamber fluid initially was considerably high, later, mainly in the third observation period ⁸⁶Rb was present in a significantly lower amount, probably due to the fact that it was still bound to the cornea, this in much greater extent than ²²Na. The method was proved to be simple, selective and reproducible and only required the minimum amount of radioisotopes, being thus favourable as regards costs and radiation hazards. (L.O.)