Vitamin A acid and corneal epithelial wound healing.

The entire corneal epithelium of each of 42 rabbits was removed bilaterally. Tretinoin or 0.5% or 0.1% ethylretinamide drops were applied topically five times a day to the eyes of one-half of the experimental animals, and peanut oil was applied to the eyes of the other half (the controls). The healing of the denuded corneas of the animals receiving tretinoin or 0.5% ethylretinamide was significantly more advanced than the healing of the corneas of the control animals. The 0.1% ethylretinamide solution did not enhance the healing process.