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Effects of 5% sodium chloride ophthalmic ointment on thickness and morphology of the normal canine cornea
Author(s) -
Samuel Michelle,
Thomasy Sara M.,
Calderon Allison S.,
Kass Philip H.,
Collins Keith,
Murphy Christopher J.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
veterinary ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.594
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1463-5224
pISSN - 1463-5216
DOI - 10.1111/vop.12582
Subject(s) - cornea , sodium , morphology (biology) , chemistry , ophthalmology , anatomy , medicine , biology , organic chemistry , zoology
Objective To determine the effect of 5% sodium chloride ophthalmic ointment (5% NaCl) on thickness and morphology of the normal canine cornea using ultrasonic pachymetry ( USP ), in vivo confocal microscopy ( IVCM ), and Fourier‐domain optical coherence tomography ( FD ‐ OCT ). Methods Five healthy laboratory Beagles received ophthalmic examinations including USP , IVCM , and FD ‐ OCT prior to and at fixed intervals following treatment. The right and left eyes were treated with 5% NaCl and artificial tears ophthalmic ointment ( AT ), respectively, every 2 hours for 4 treatments/d (days 2‐9), and then hourly for 7 treatments/d (day 10). Treatment groups were statistically compared using mixed‐effects linear regression. Results Treatment with 5% NaCl resulted in a 12 μm decrease in corneal thickness from baseline ( P < .001), while there was no significant difference in corneal thickness between values obtained at baseline and following treatment with AT ( P = .82). Epithelial cell density significantly increased from baseline (530 ± 52 cells/mm 2 ) to 577 ± 43 and 567 ± 15 cells/mm 2 with 5% NaCl and AT , respectively ( P = .003 and .005, respectively). However, keratocyte cell density in the anterior and posterior stroma and endothelial cell density did not significantly differ following treatment with 5% NaCl or AT ointment ( P > .05). Conclusions Short‐term topical treatment with 5% NaCl decreased corneal thickness in normal dogs with no observable changes in corneal morphology or signs of ocular toxicity.