The Histological Changes of The Eyes of Rats after Exposure to UVB: Role of Vitamin E

Background and Objectives: Eye exposure to UVB radiation can lead to photokeratitis. Antioxidant agents, such as Vitamin E, enhance corneal healing.Aim of this work Study: the influence of a narrow band of UVB light on the eyes of rats and evaluate the preventive role of vitamin E on the eye following UVB radiation.Methods: Twenty male Wistar albino rats were included in this work. They haphazardly distributed into four equal groups (n=5), group A, a negative control group, group B (exposed to different intensities of a single daily dose of UVB radiation extending from 240 mJ UVB/cm2 up to 960 MJ/1 week, group C: treated as group B with the oral ingestion of vitamin E, group D: ingested oral dosages of vitamin E for one week.The rats were them sacrificed, and the eyes were removed and fixed in 10% buffered formalin for 24 hours to be followed by histological processing and tissue staining with hematoxylin and eosin stain as well as TUNEL stain to be ready for histopathological examination.Results: The eyes of group B rats corneal damage in the form of irregular hypertrophy of the cornea, ulceration, stromal edema, hemorrhage, inflammatory cell infiltration, and increased apoptotic cells. All these changes were reduced following the use of vitamin E in group C, while groups A and D show normal histological pictures.Conclusion: daily exposure of the eye to the progressive increasing intensity of UVB for one-week results in severe histological changes in the cornea that are alleviated by using a protective daily dose of vitamin E before exposate to radiation.