Comparison between corneal cross-linking, topical antibiotic and combined therapy in experimental bacterial keratitis model.

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of an experimental bacterial keratitis model on the corneal collagen cross-linking treatment (CXL), and also to compare topical antibiotic treatment with the combined treatment.

Methods: The study involved 40 young adult female Sprague Dawley rats, which had a 2 mm scraped defect of the central corneal epithelium in both eyes. The rats were divided into two equal groups.