Acyclovir treatment of experimental herpetic keratitis in the rabbit eye.

In the rabbit eye model of experimental herpetic keratitis a satisfactory cure was obtained with ointments containing 1 percent, 2 percent, and 3 percent acyclovir, and also with idoxuridine. Trifluorothymidine and vidarabine were less effective in the particular conditions of the experiment. A cure was also obtained with acyclovir sodium salt injected intravenously, thus demonstrating that a local infection of the eye can be treated systematically.