Representative pictures of HE staining of the corneas from each of the four groups.

<p>Normal corneas had three to five epithelial layers. Damage to the epithelium could be observed on days 0 and 7 in the four groups.</p

Representative images from transmission electron microscopy.

<p>Compared with images from normal eyes, swelling of the mitochondria, Golgi apparati and RER could be observed on day 0 in Group BAC-W2, on days 0 and 7 in Groups BAC-W3 and BAC-W4, and on days 0, 7, and 21 in Group BAC-W5.</p

The scores for sodium fluorescein staining in all groups.

<p>Compared with the pre-treatment group, there were significant differences on days 0, 7 and 14 after the cessation of BAC treatment in the BAC-W2, BAC-W3, BAC-W4, and BAC-W5 groups.</p

Representative images from transmission electron microscopy showing the conjunctival epithelial ultrastructure.

<p>Compared with normal eyes, fewer goblet cells and secretary granules were observed on day 0 in Groups BAC-W2 and BAC-W3, and on days 0, 7, and 21 in Group BAC-W4. This loss of goblet cells and secretary granules was particularly pronounced in Group BAC-W5 on all of the days that were studied. Chromatin condensation and peripheral migration could be observed on days 0, 7, and 21 in Group BAC-W5.</p

The results of Schirmer's tests in all groups.

<p>Schirmer's test results show decreased aqueous tear secretion compared to pre-treatment secretion levels on days 0, 7 and 21 after the cessation of BAC treatment. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001, respectively. Compared with pre-treatment, the differences were statistically significant on days 0 and 7 in the BAC-W2, BAC-W3, and BAC-W4 groups as well as on days 0, 7 and 14 in Group BAC-W5. The values shown are average wetted lengths ± standard deviations.</p

The number of goblet cells in all groups.

<p>Compared with the goblet cell densities in normal eyes, there were significant differences on days 0, 7 and 14 in Group BAC-W2, and on days 0, 7, 14 and 21 in Groups BAC-W3, BAC-W4 and BAC-W5. In the last of these (Group BAC-W5), there were no significant differences in goblet cell density between days 0 and 21. The values shown are averages±standard deviations.</p

Representative images from transmission electron microscopy that revealed the ultrastructure of the corneal epithelium.

<p>Compared with normal eyes, vacuoles between the cells could be observed on day 0 in Group BAC-W2 and on days 0, 7, and 21 in Groups BAC-W3, BAC-W4. These vacuoles were particularly prominent among samples from Group BAC-W5.</p

Representative examples of CIC in each group.

<p>Each group showed evidence of having an abundance of goblet cells, and the goblet cells were oval in shape and full when normal. On day 0, there were only a few goblet cells in all of the groups, and these goblet cells were irregularly shaped. This difference from baseline could be observed on days 0, 7 and 14 in Group BAC-W2 and on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 in groups BAC-W3, BAC-W4 and BAC-W5.</p

Representative images from scanning electron microscopy.

<p>Compared with normal eyes, there were fewer microvilli, and these microvilli were shorter and less regularly arranged on days 0 and 7 in Groups BAC-W2, BAC-W3 and BAC-W4, and on days 0, 7, and 21 in Group BAC-W5.</p