Objective: To study the effect of saline, carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops and sodium hyaluronate gel
to stop the development of cataract in anesthetized mice. Methods: Twenty C57BL/6j mice, aged 6 weeks, were
divided into four groups, group A was naturally exposed to air, group B was treated with sodium hyaluronate gel,
group C was treated with carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops and group D was treated with saline. The
lens opacity was observed at 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 min after the start of the experiment. Results: Compared with
group A, the eye drops delayed the development of lens opacity in varying degrees. At 30 min, the incidence rate
of cataract in group A, B, C and D was 90%, 50%, 50% and 10%, respectively. At 60 min, the incidence rate of grade
3 cataract in group A, B, C and D was 30%, 10%, 10% and 0 respectively, saline did the best, which can significantly slow the process. Conclusion: Cataract development can be slowed by the protective eye drops. This finding is
relevant for those experimental settings in which clear ocular media are required.