CORNEAL EDEMA RECOVERY DYNAMICS IN DIABETES - IS THE ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC RABBIT A USEFUL MODEL

Purpose. To compare the contact lens-induced corneal edema recovery dynamics of human subjects with type 1 diabetes with those of age- and sex-matched normal human subjects; to compare the human data with previously reported data from alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit. Methods. Corneal edema was induced by 2 hours of closed eye wear with a thick, soft contact lens. After removal of the contact lens, central corneal thickness measurements were made at 30-minute intervals for 3 hours using optical pachometry. Results. Human subjects with type 1 diabetes demonstrated a significantly slower rate of corneal edema recovery than age- and sex-matched human controls. The rate of corneal edema recovery found in this study for human subjects with type 1 diabetes is similar to that previously reported for alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits. Conclusions. The decreased corneal edema recovery ability of the patient with type 1 diabetes suggests that care should be taken when prescribing contact lens use in these people. The similarity between corneal edema recovery rates in the human subject with type 1 diabetes and the alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit supports the use of the alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit as an animal model for studies of corneal edema recovery dynamics in diabetes.