Assessment of the validity of animal techniques in eye-irritation testing.

Since its introduction 40 years ago, the Draize test for eye irritancy has remained largely unchanged in spite of long-standing controversy over ethical and scientific aspects. It is suggested that deficiencies in the data derived from the test which arise from defects in the basic test design, cannot be fully compensated for by supplementary methods or data handling schemes. As a limited amount of in vivo testing is still required, attempts should be made to improve the method by attention to the scientific principles involved, using current knowledge of inflammatory mechanisms. Proper attention to design and approach will help to resolve both the scientific deficiencies in the test and help to overcome the reservations that are currently felt with regard to the ethics of the test.