In Vivo Confocal Microscopic Grading System for Standardized Corneal Evaluation: Application to Toxic-Induced Damage in Rat

Abstract

Purpose: To propose an in vivo confocal microscopic scoring system for evaluation of irritant-induced corneal changes. Materials and Methods: Rat corneas were instilled with 0.01–0.5% benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and examined using high-resolution in vivo confocal microscopy (HRT-II) to measure corneal thickness and characterize corneal damage patterns. Severity scores were given for each predefined evaluation parameter and then totaled. Results: The scoring system revealed a dose-dependent effect of BAC and discriminated between high- and low-dose treatments. Conclusions: This HRT-II scoring standardizes damage evaluation at the cellular level, even when assessing irritating compounds at low concentrations.

KEYWORDS:

• animal model
• cornea
• in vivo confocal microscopy
• scoring system
• toxicology