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Updated: Oct 23, 2025
Ex Vivo and In Vivo Animal Models for Mechanical and Chemical Injuries of Corneal Epithelium
Published on: April 6, 2022
New thin-film adhesive for sealing full-thickness corneal incisions in rabbits
Jackie Tan1, Leslie John Ray Foster, Frank James Lovicu
1From The University of Sydney, Save Sight Institute, Discipline of Ophthalmology, Sydney Medical School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Tan, Foster, Lovicu, Watson); Bio/polymers Research Group, Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville (Foster).
Purpose:
To compare the repair of penetrating corneal incisions in an in vivo rabbit model using a laser-activated thin-film adhesive, sutures, or self-seal.
Setting:
The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.
Design:
Animal studies.
Methods:
Under an operating microscope, 2.0 mm penetrating incisions were created in 162 right eyes. Incisions in one group were repaired with the adhesive, the second group received a single 10-0 nylon suture, and the third group was left to self-seal. Rabbits were killed humanely at predetermined timepoints over 2 weeks, and wound healing was assessed using burst pressure and immunohistological studies. A modified McDonald-Shadduck scoring was used to assess eyes.
Results:
The mean burst pressure of the adhesive group was significantly higher than the sutured or self-sealed groups at all timepoints within the first 72 hours. At 0 hour, the burst pressure was 98.0 (±17.0) mm Hg, 30.6 (±2.1) mm Hg, and 3.8 (±0.6) mm Hg (P < .00001) for adhesive-treated (n = 5), sutured (n = 5), and self-sealed wounds (n = 5), respectively. These increased to 229.0 (±53.7) mm Hg, 12.4 (±2.9) mm Hg, and 27.3 (±4.0) mm Hg (P = .0011) at 72 hours. The modified McDonald-Shadduck score was significantly higher for eyes repaired using the adhesive than those sutured or left to self-seal for the first 72 hours. On histology and immunofluorescence, adhesive treatment demonstrated better wound approximation and higher myofibroblastic activation than the other groups.
Conclusions:
The adhesive was efficacious in sealing penetrating corneal incisions and tolerated higher burst pressures than sutures or self-seal. The adhesive was biocompatible in rabbits, and incisions demonstrated a rapid gain in wound strength that sustained over the study period.
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