Corneal Wound Healing

Corneal injuries are common in both men and women across all age groups and are among the most common eye conditions seen in emergency departments (1, 2).  The mechanical injury model allows for the testing of agents that may improve re-epithelialization. For this model, an Algerbrush II with a 0.5mm Burr or a dulled blade is used to remove the corneal epithelial layer. The speed of wound closure is determined by Fluorescein staining and the area of the wound is calculated by imaging software.  We also offer the alkali cornea burn model. To accomplish this, a 2mm filter paper circle is soaked in 0.1 to 1M NaOH for 10 to 30s.  These models can be used for studying the effect of potential therapeutics on cell migration, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, barrier function, scarring, reinnervation, and angiogenesis/ lymphangiogenesis

corneal neovascularizationcornea wound graphs

corneal wound healing
Assesment of corneal wound healing in-vivo following 2 or 3 mm mechanical wounding

1. Shields T, Sloane PD. A comparison of eye problems in primary care and ophthalmology practices. Fam Med. 1991;23(7):544–546.

2. Wong TY, Lincoln A, Tielsch JM, Baker SP. The epidemiology of ocular injury in a major US automobile corporation. Eye (Lond). 1998;12(pt 5):870–874.