Figure 4
Corneal fluorescein staining in rabbit eyes (a) control (b) DMSO exposed (c) 25 mg/ml capsaicin exposed (d) 50 mg/ml capsaicin exposed (e) 75 mg/ml capsaicin exposed (f) 100 mg/ml capsaicin exposed. There was no fluorescein uptake by the control and vehicle treated cornea (4a and 4b) whereas minute staining was observed in the conjunctiva of rabbit exposed to 25 mg/ml capsaicin (Fig. 4c marked with an arrow). Eyes of animals exposed to 50, 75 and 100 mg/ml capsaicin (Fig. 4d–f) showed fluorescein staining in minute areas of the iris (marked in circles) and conjunctiva (marked using arrows) followed by diminished symptoms later. Indirect opthalmoscope imaging of rabbit fundus using a 20D lens: (g) normal rabbit eye with retinal blood vessels in vitreous media (h) DMSO exposed fundus (i) 25 mg/ml capsaicin exposed fundus (j) 50 mg/ml capsaicin exposed fundus (k) 75 mg/ml capsaicin exposed fundus (l) 100 mg/ml capsaicin exposed fundus. Control, DMSO and 25 mg/ml capsaicin treated fundus (Fig. 4g–i) comprising of retinal blood vessels and vitreous media remained clear and distinct whereas 50, 75 and 100 mg/ml capsaicin treated eyes (Fig. 4j–l) showed vitreous haze with only slight visibility of the blood vessels which might be as a result of vascular inflammatory granulation (observed as dark patches in images Fig. 4j–l) and diffuse retinal oedema observed to a greater extent in fundus exposed to higher doses of capsaicin.
