Effects of Topical Aloe vera on Epithelial Healing and Corneal Haze After Alkali Burn in Rabbits: A Comparison with Autologous Serum

This randomized controlled study evaluated whether topical Aloe vera (AV) eye drops improve corneal epithelial healing and corneal haze after alkali burn in New Zealand White rabbits, and whether their effects are comparable to 50% autologous serum (AS). Sixteen rabbits (32 eyes; 8 males and 8 females; 36.2 ± 2.8 weeks old) received bilateral central corneal alkali burns induced with 1 N NaOH and were assigned to balanced salt solution (BSS; 12 eyes), AV (10 eyes), or 50% AS (10 eyes), administered four times daily for 4 weeks. Residual epithelial defect area was measured from fluorescein-stained slit-lamp images, and corneal haze was graded using the Fantes scale. AV and AS reduced residual epithelial defect area more rapidly than BSS during days 1 and 2, with estimated mean differences of −15.6 and −9.8 percentage points, respectively. All corneas re-epithelialized by day 7, and no significant difference was observed between AV and AS. Corneal haze did not show sustained treatment-related differences. These findings suggest that topical AV may support early epithelial recovery after acute alkali injury, with effects comparable to 50% AS, although its effect on corneal haze appears limited.