title: Alternatives to ocular irritation testing in animals.
abstract: The preliminary conclusions of a survey of possible non-animal alternatives to the Draize rabbit eye irritancy test, recently conducted for the Commission of the European Communities, are presented. The various types of alternatives to animal tests are reviewed in terms of their current state of development and validation, and also their potential in relation to the type of exposure, level of testing, type of testing, type of effect, location of effect, and type of test material. Various problems concerning the availability and quality of in vivo eye irritation data, and the use of this data in in vitro/in vivo comparisons, are highlighted. Finally, the use of step-wise and integrated animal/non-animal and non-animal/non-animal test systems and strategies are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Morphology, University of Nottingham Medical School, UK.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Fentem
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Clothier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balls
mesh_terms: D000826:Animal Testing Alternatives / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D005123:Eye / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007509:Irritants / Q000633:toxicity*; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D007509:Irritants; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions