Introduction: Chlorinated-water-induced corneal wounds lead to reduced transparency and disability of the cornea. Sodium hyaluronate (SH) is a natural lubricant with unique hygroscopic properties that control tissue hydration for topical eye care with excellent use as an ophthalmic product.
Aim of the work: To evaluate the protective effects of sodium hyaluronate on corneal injuries induced by chlorinated water in adult male rabbits.
Materials and Methods: A total of 20 adult male rabbits were divided equally into four groups treated with 2 drops of sodium hyaluronate on the corneal surface of both eyes two times daily for one month as follow: Group I (G1) was control group treated with distilled water, group II (G2) treated with chlorinated water, group III (G3) treated with SH while, group IV (G4) was treated with 2 drops of SH then 2 drops of chlorinated water. The corneas were excised and processed for histological and immunohistochemical study.
Results: G2 showed epithelial thinning with some areas of cellular ulceration. Disturbance of normal stromal architecture, wide separation of collagen fibers and few degenerated keratocytes were noticed. In addition, a significant decrease of BCL-2 immunoexpression was observed in the cytoplasm of corneal epithelial cells (P<0.01). G3 and G4 showed improvement in the histological and immunohistochemical changes described in G2.
Conclusion: Chlorinated water was harmful to the cornea and SH eye drops proved to minimize these corneal complications. Therefore, application of SH eye drops before swimming is recommended to flush chlorine drops away and to allow the tear film to remain over the cornea.