Abstract
Three % N-acetylcysteine collyrium (ACET: collagenase inhibitor) was evaluated for its effectiveness in treating corneal diseases (injury keratitis, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, corneal ulcer, etc.) in dogs. One or two drops of ACET were administered five or six times a day as a rule. Other drugs which would possibly influence assessment of effects were not administered with ACET. Seventy-one dogs were used for this assessment and 82 for the safety testing of ACET. Injury keratitis (30 cases) and corneal ulcer (40 cases) were the main diseases in the former. Beneficial effects were recognized in 63 (88.7%) of the 71 dogs. No animals became worse and no side effects were observed. Sixty-one (85.9%) of the 71 dogs showed improvement. ACET would thus appear to be a safe and reliable drug for treating corneal epithelium diseases in dogs.