1.0 Introduction and Rationale for the Proposed Use of in Vitro Test Methods to Identify Ocular Corrosives and Severe Irritants

1.1.1 Historical Background of In Vitro Ocular Irritation/Corrosion Test Methods and Rationale for Their Development The location of the eye and its anatomy predisposes it to exposure to a variety of environmental conditions (e.g., ozone, pollen) and substances on a daily basis. Injury from ocular exposure to a variety of chemical agents can lead to a range of adverse effects with the most extreme being blindness. Societal concern for evaluating consumer products for ocular irritation and/or corrosion was heightened in 1933 when a 38 year old woman went blind after her eyelashes and eyebrows were tinted with a product containing paraphenylenediamine, a chemical with the potential to cause allergic blepharitis, toxic keratoconjunctivitis, and secondary bacterial keratitis (Wilhelmus 2001).