Experimentally induced calcium oxalate keratopathy in rabbits.

In a period of 21 days, six subcutaneous injections of calcium chloride and dibutyloxalate solution produced a flecklike, polymorphous corneal opacity and a slight stromal clouding in chinchilla rabbits, as seen with the slit lamp. In front of the endothelium, opaque structures could be seen with the specular microscope. New Zealand white rabbits showed only a diffuse corneal clouding. Light microscopy revealed a reticular alteration of the cytoplasm in the basal layers of the corneal epithelium primarily in chinchilla bastard rabbits. In central corneal areas an irregular structure of the basal epithelial cells and a papillalike alteration of the stromal-epithelial border was seen. In the endothelium an increased formation of vacuoles was observed in both species. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated endothelial cell loss.