Draize Eye Testing

According to the National Anti-Vivisection Society, the Draize eye testing technique is one of the ways chemicals in products are tested on animals to determine their safety for use by humans. The Draize Eye Irritant Test uses animals such as rabbits to test household products and chemicals, particularly chemicals used on the hands and face that have the largest chance of coming into contact with the eyes.

  1. History

    • The New England Anti-Vivisection Society reports the Draize Test was developed in 1944 by John H. Draize, a scientist with the U.S. Food &Drug Administration. The Draize test was developed for use in rabbits with a scoring system established to rate the irritation caused to the eyes of the animal when a chemical was rubbed into the eye and left there for a prolonged period of time. The New England Anit-Vivisection Society describes technicians monitoring the animals as they undergo the Draize Test before the animal is killed and the internal effects of the chemical are observed.

    Test

    • The United Kingdom's Dr. Hadwen Trust for Humane Research reports the testing process for the Draize Test to be used in most cases on albino white rabbits. The use of albino white rabbits is reported by the Dr. Hadwen Trust as being used because of the large area of the eye visible to technicians and scientists. The animal used for testing purposes is restrained around the neck to stop movement that would detract from the test; this clips are used to hold the eye of the animal open to avoid the animal blinking the chemical out of the eye. Only one eye is used for testing purposes with the second used as a control for comparison. The chemical to be tested is then rubbed onto the eye of the animal before technicians monitor the effects on the animal for a set period of time. The Dr. Hadwen Trust reports testing can continue on a single animal for up to 21 days.

    Uses

    • The Draize Test is in common use in both the U.S. and European Union as a way of testing chemicals, with the data used for regulatory purposes. The Dr. Hadwen Trust reports around 4,500 rabbits are used in Draize Testing each year in the European Union. The results of the Draize Test are explained by the National Anti-Vivisection Society as helping to measure the possible harmfulness of chemicals when transferred to human use. Damage received by animals in the Draize Test is recorded and used to gauge the outcome on the eyes of humans.

    Problems

    • According to the National Anti-Vivisection Society, the Draize test is neither economically or scientifically efficient. The cost of the Draize Test in economic terms is reported by the National Anti-Vivisection Society to be greater than non-animal testing options, with the reliability of the Draize Test also questioned by many, including the Dr. Hadwen Trust. Problems can occur with the Draize Eye Irritancy Test when the results are transferred to humans, with the Dr. Hadwen Trust explaining that species differences between rabbits and humans cause Draize Test research often to be flawed.

    Alternatives

    • The Dr. Hadwen Trust reports that a number of alternatives to the Draize Eye Irritancy Test have been developed by scientists. In 2009 the Eurpoean Union accepted two non-animal testing alternatives to the Draize Test for use by its member states. Alternatives included the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability test and the Isolated Chicken Eye test.