Abstract: Objective To investigate the reparative effects of Qihuang eye drops on experimental dry eye-induced corneal epithelial injury. Design Experimental study. Participants Forty experimental animal rats. Methods A corneal epithelial injury model was established by excising the extraorbital lacrimal glands and instilling benzalkonium bromide solution. On day 2 post-modeling, corneal staining was assessed via slit-lamp microscopy, and corneal injury was scored based on staining area: 0 (no staining), 1 (<25%), 2 (25%~50%), 3 (>50%~75%), and 4 (>75%). Rats were divided into 5 groups (8 rats, 16 eyes per group) with matched baseline scores. The control group received solvent eye drops, while the other four groups were treated with 1.75%, 3.5%, or 7% Qihuang eye drops, or epidermal growth factor (EGF) eye drops. Corneal epithelial scores were re-evaluated on days 7, 14, and 21. The corneal epithelial lesion scores at various time point after treatment were compared among the groups. Main Outcome Measures Corneal epithelial injury scores. Results On day 7, the 7% Qihuang group (2.38±1.26) and EGF group (2.39±0.85) showed significantly lower scores than the control group (3.19±0.83). On day 14, all Qihuang groups (1.75%: 2.44±0.73; 3.5%: 2.44±0.78; 7%: 2.06±1.00) and the EGF group (2.28± 0.89) exhibited reduced scores compared to the control group (3.38±1.15). By day 21, the Qihuang groups (1.75%: 2.06±0.68; 3.5%: 1.83±0.71; 7%: 1.56±0.63) and EGF group (1.83±0.62) demonstrated further improvement, outperforming the control group (2.81±0.83). Conclusions Qihuang eye drops promote the repair of corneal epithelial injury in experimental dry eye, with the 3.5% concentration showing optimal efficacy of treatment. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2025, 34: 158-160)

Key words: Qihuang eye drops, experimental dry eye, corneal epithelial damage