The continuous cell line 293 was evaluated as a replacement for primary human embryo kidney (HEK) cells in the cultivation of ocular viruses. The 293 cells were found to be as sensitive as HEK cells and human embryo fibroblast (HEF) cells for the cultivation of adenoviruses and herpes simplex virus (HSV) respectively. As a continuous cell line, 293 cells are preferable to HEK and HEF cells for the routine isolation of ophthalmic viruses.