The in vitro assessment of eye irritancy using isolated eyes.
Rabbit eyes were removed and held in temperature-regulated chambers and irrigated with saline. A dose of 0.1 ml of test irritant was applied to each eye (six eyes per test material) and the induced change in corneal thickness measured over a 5-hour period, using a Zeiss photoslit-lamp microscope. A total of sixty materials were assessed and the results graded and compared with in vivo effects. The results show that this in vitro test can be relied upon to provide a rapid, accurate prediction of the irritancy potential in vivo, with a wide range of chemicals and, as such, offers a reliable alternative to the use of live animals.
D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D005123:Eye / Q000187:drug effects*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007509:Irritants / Q000633:toxicity*; D011817:Rabbits
D007509:Irritants