I am working with an optic nerve crush model and a neuroprotective/regenerative treatment. Among the planned assessments, visual acuity tests are intended to be conducted. However, optic nerve crush is only performed on one eye, while the other eye remains intact (for bioethical reasons and to prevent the rat from becoming nearly blind). In the visual acuity test, we obviously want to evaluate only the damaged eye and determine if the treatment improves visual capacity. However, we are unsure how to close the intact eye in a way that prevents the animals from having visual input from that healthy eye, without distracting them or causing them to touch their eye, so that their attention remains focused on the visual task. I would appreciate any comments or experiences from anyone who has conducted visual tests in this single-eye model. Thank you.
While crushing optic nerve of rat, you must be giving anaesthesia. During this period of anaesthesia, close the normal eye with a suture (Tarsorrhaphy) and once the experiment is over, take out the suture and rat will be able to see with the normal eye.
