Atropine drops

All animal procedures were in accordance with protocols approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the Illinois Institute of Technology and with the principles embodied in the statement on the use of animals in ophthalmic and vision research adopted by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Long-Evans male rats (250–200 g) were purchased from ENVIGO Laboratories (Indianapolis, IN, USA). Animals were anesthetized using 80 mg/kg ketamine hydrochloride (Henry Schein Animal Health, Dublin, OH, USA) and 10 mg/kg xylazine (Henry Schein Animal Health) through intraperitoneal injection. Proparacaine drops (Bausch and Lomb, Rochester, NY, USA) were used to anesthetize the corneas, followed by both phenylephrine (Bausch and Lomb) and atropine drops (Bausch and Lomb) to dilate the pupils. Heart rate and blood oxygen saturation were monitored with a pulse oximeter (8500 AV; Nonin Medical, Inc., Plymouth, MN, USA). Animals were placed on a heated stage to maintain a core body temperature of 37.5°C during any procedures and examinations.

Forty Long-Evans male rats (1–3 months, 200–250 g) purchased from Envigo Bioproducts Incorporated (Madison, WI) were used to induce the ocular infection model. The animals were handled and cared for according to the IIT Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol with the principles embodied in the Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research adopted by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Animals were fed ad libitum. Animals were anesthetized using 0.8 mg/kg body weight of 100 mg/mL ketamine hydrochloride (Fort Dodge Animal Health, Fort Dodge, IA) and 0.1 mg/kg body weight of 100 mg/mL xylazine (AnaSed Injection, Akron, Inc., Decatur, IL) via intraperitoneal (IP) injection. Proparacaine drops (Bausch and Lomb, Rochester, NY) were used to anesthetize the corneas, and pupils were dilated using phenylephrine (Bausch and Lomb) and atropine drops (Bausch and Lomb). Heart rate and blood oxygen saturation were monitored with a Pulse Oximeter (8500AV; Nonin Medical, Inc., Plymouth, MN). Animals were placed on a custom-built heated stage and monitored to maintain a core body temperature of 37°C.