Editing Draize test (section)

==Regulations==

===UK===
In Britain, the [[Home Office]] publishes guideline for eye irritancy tests, with the aim of reducing suffering to the animals. In its 2006 guidelines, it "strongly encourages" ''in vitro'' screening of all compounds before testing on animals, and mandates the use of validated alternatives when available. It requires that the test solution's "physical and chemical properties are not such that a severe adverse reaction could be predicted"; therefore "known [[corrosive]] substances or those with a high [[oxidation]] or reduction potential must not be tested."<ref name=HO>[http://scienceandresearch.homeoffice.gov.uk/animal-research/publications-and-reference/publications/guidance/hoguidance-eye-irritation-tests?view=Html Eye Irritation Tests] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621035637/http://scienceandresearch.homeoffice.gov.uk/animal-research/publications-and-reference/publications/guidance/hoguidance-eye-irritation-tests?view=Html |date=June 21, 2007 }}, UK Home Office, retrieved 29 June 2009.</ref>

The test design requires that the substance be tested on one rabbit initially, and the effect of the substance on the skin must be ascertained before it can be introduced into the eye. If a rabbit shows signs of "severe pain" or distress it must be immediately killed, the study terminated and the compound may not be tested on other animals. In tests where severe eye irritancy is considered likely, a washout should closely follow testing in the eye of the first rabbit. In the UK, any departure from these guidelines requires prior approval from the [[Home Secretary|Secretary of State]].<ref name=HO/>