PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of pure honey and 20% autologous serum and BSS® in corneal epithelial healing in rabbits after 48 hours. METHODS: All solutions were applied after an epithelial removal of 13-millimeters diameter area. Areas of epithelial healing were studied at 12, 24 and 48 hours. The eyes were treated every four hours during 2 days. All treated eyes were assigned to a control group (contralateral eye) treated with a balanced saline solution. RESULTS: All studied groups were not significantly differents. In group one, the eyes treated with honey and the control were similar (p<0.87). In the second group the eyes treated with autologos serum and the control presented no difference in the mean score (p<0.072). CONCLUSION: Corneal epithelial healing in rabbits did not show improvement after application of either honey or autologous serum. It was possible to stabilish that the autologous serum treated eyes were clinicaly better than the control group but without statistical significance.
Epithelium; corneal; Wound healing; Corneal diseases; Wound infection; Honey; Ophthalmic solutions; Rabbits