The Establishment of Rabbit Dry Eye Model

Objective To establish stable rabbit dry eye model for future research work.Methods Surgery was performed on 14 rabbits' right eye,by ablating the lacrimal gland,the tertiary eyelid and the Harder's gland.Shirmer Ⅰ test and 1% rose bengal staining were taken on 1,3,5,7,10,15 days after surgery.Enucleation was performed on 3 weeks after operation,and the excised cornea and conjunctiva were examined by light transmission and scanning electron microscopy.Results The values of Shirmer Ⅰ test before surgery was 18.1±3.6 mm,but the values of Shirmer Ⅰ test after surgery decreased evidently and stably and all of the values were within 5 mm 5 days after surgery.The values of Shirmer Ⅰ test showed significant difference before and 1,3,5,7,10,15 days after surgery.Before operation the result of 1% rose bengal staining were negative,but it became positive on 7 days after operation and the extent of staining was aggravated along with time.The examinations of cornea and conjunctiva by light transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed abnormal.Conclusion Ablation of lacrimal gland,the teritiary eyelid and the Harder's gland can establish rabbit dry eye model successfully and the method is simple and reliable.