AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF COLLAGEN SHIELDS AND THERAPEUTIC CONTACT-LENSES ON CORNEAL WOUND-HEALING

We evaluated the effects of collagen shields and therapeutic contact l enses on corneal wound healing in rabbits. A corneal wound was created by mechanical removal of the central 6-mm zone of the corneal epithel ium and basement membrane in 30 eyes of 15 rabbits. The animals were d ivided into three groups: five rabbits in the first group were treated with a collagen shield in one eye and a therapeutic lens in the other eye. In the remaining two groups, either a collagen shield or a thera peutic lens was applied in one eye and the other eye served as the con trol. The radius and area of the wound were measured at 0, 6, 24, and 48 h after wounding. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant reduction in the wound area with time in all groups. The healing rate was found to be 0.52+/-0.08 mm(2)/h in the collagen shield, 0.54+/-0. 05 mm(2)/h in the therapeutic lens, and 0.43+/-0.06 mm(2)/h in the con trol group. Comparison of the study groups by Bonferroni modification of analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differen ce between the collagen shield and the therapeutic lens group at any t ime (p > 0.05), whereas a significantly larger wound size was observed in the control group compared with the treatment groups at all times studied (p < 0.05 at 6 h; p < 0.001 at 24 and 48 h). In conclusion, ou r results indicate that both collagen shields and therapeutic lenses e nhance wound healing in rabbit eyes.