Refresh tear

The complete ERG protocol was detailed previously.^{13 (link)} Briefly, mice were dark-adapted overnight. In preparation for ERGs, mice were anesthetized with IP injections of ketamine (100 mg/mL: AmTech Group, Inc., Tempe, AZ, USA) and AnaSed xylazine (20 mg/mL; Santa Cruz Animal Health, Dallas, TX, USA).^{13 (link)} Proparacaine (1%; Akorn, Inc.) and tropicamide (1%; Akorn, Inc.) eye drops were administered to reduce eye sensitivity and dilate pupils. Once anesthetized, mice were placed on a heating pad inside a Faraday cage in front of a desktop Ganzfeld stimulator (UTAS-3000; LKC Technologies, Gaithersburg, MD, USA). A DTL fiber active electrode was placed on top of each cornea. A drop of Refresh Tears (Allergan, Dublin, Ireland) was added to each eye to maintain conductivity with the electrode fibers. The reference electrode was a 1-cm needle inserted into the cheek, and the ground electrode was placed in the tail. ERGs were recorded for the scotopic condition (−3.0 to 2.1 log cd-s/m² and increasing flash stimulus intervals from 2 to 70 seconds). Mice recovered from anesthesia individually in cages placed partly on top of heated water pads. ERGs were performed 1 week after light damage and again at 2 and 4 weeks following light exposure.

The complete electroretinogram (ERG) protocol was previously detailed [10 (link),12 (link),13 (link),25 (link),26 (link)]. Briefly, mice were dark-adapted overnight. In preparation for the ERGs, the mice were anesthetized with intraperitoneal (IP) injections of 100 mg/kg ketamine and 15 mg/kg xylazine (ketamine; KetaVed from Vedco, Saint Joseph, MO; xylazine.
Proparacaine (1%; Akorn Inc.) and tropicamide (1%; Akorn Inc.) eye drops were administered to reduce eye sensitivity and dilate the pupils. Once anesthetized, the mice were placed on a heating pad (39 °C) inside a Faraday cage in front of the desktop BigShot LED Ganzfeld stimulator (LKC Technologies, Gaithersburg, MD). A platinum wire fiber electrode, produced in-house, was placed in contact with each cornea. A drop of Refresh Tears (Allergan) was added to each eye to maintain conductivity with the electrode fibers. The reference electrodes (LKC) were 1-cm needles inserted into each cheek, and the ground electrode (LKC) was placed in the tail. ERGs were recorded for the scotopic condition (0.00039–24.9000 cd s/m² and increasing flash stimulus intervals from 2.0 to 70 s). Mice recovered from anesthesia individually in cages placed partly on top of heated water pads.

Atropine eye drops (0.2% diluted from 1% atropine ophthalmic solution, Akorn Inc., Lake Forest, IL; diluted with Refresh Tears (Allergan, Irvine, TX)) were administered twice, with the last eye drops applied 30 min before toxic light exposure. For experimental light exposure to induce the I307N Rho degeneration, the animals were individually housed in white opaque polypropylene cages for 5 min without food or water while exposed to 6,000 lux levels of light from a white light-emitting diode light source. Exposure was between 10 and 11 AM (i.e., 3 to 4 h into the normal light cycle). After this exposure, the animals were returned to their home cages under normal lighting conditions for the remainder of the experiment. The uninduced mice were exposed to 50 lux light.

Patients received moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic solution 0.5% (Vigamox^®; Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA) five times daily for 1 week. A bandage soft contact lens was applied until reepithelialization was complete. Then, patients received topical steroid antibiotic drops tobramycin and dexamethasone (Tobradex^®; Alcon Laboratories, Inc.) four times daily for 1 week and then tapered off for the next 3 weeks; and carboxymethylcellulose sodium 0.5% eye lubricant (Refresh Tears^®; Allergan, Inc., Dupont Drive, Irvine, CA, USA) six times daily for 1 month. The first follow-up was done 1 day postoperatively, for 3 days in order to confirm complete epithelial healing and contact lens removal, and then after 1 week and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.