Enhancing Rose Bengal-Photosensitized Protein Crosslinking in the Cornea.

Purpose: Rose bengal (RB)-photosensitized protein crosslinking has been proposed for several applications in the eye. This study identifies oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent mechanistic pathways in cornea for RB-photosensitized crosslinking to enhance its efficiency for ocular treatments.

Methods: Rabbit corneas ex vivo were stained with 1 mM RB and irradiated at 532 nm.