Safety Outcomes of Intrastromal Injection of Sodium Hypochlorite in the Normal Rabbit Cornea

Purpose: To investigate side effects of intrastromal sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) injection in normal rabbit corneas and to investigate its possible use in treatment of fungal corneal infections. Methods: We conducted a prospective, non-randomized study in a healthy cornea rabbit model. Intrastromal injection of one hundred µl of NaOCl 5 % in one eye and NaOCl 10 % in the other eye was performed in 5 rabbits. Clinical examinations including the study of conjunctival injection, corneal edema, corneal opacity or melting, and limbal ischemia were performed on days 1, 7, 14 and 21after injection. Specular microscopy and pathological studies were also performed three weeks after corneal injections in enucleated eyes. Results: NaOCl 5 % injection was associated with normal endothelial morphology and cell count in specular microscopy. Some irregularities and drop out was associated with NaOCl 10 % injection. Conclusion: Intrastromal injection of NaOCl 5 % could be a safe method to treat fungal corneal infections.