The Draize eye test is also a “C” on the USDA's pain scale . The Draize eye test specifically targets albino rabbits. The Draize test was introduced in 1994 by John Draize, a scientist with the US Food and Drug Administration. Many times a chemical is dropped or sprayed into one of the rabbit’s eyes using the other eye as a control; scientists then watch the results of the test over the next week. Robert Sharpe explains that, during the experiment, “the cornea, iris, and conjunctivae are examined for signs of opacity, ulceration, hemorrhage, redness, swelling, and discharge”. Through a study of many laboratory Draize test results, Weil and Scala concluded that the Draize eye test should not be recommended by federal agencies because a rabbit’s eye is so different from the human eye. The cornea in rabbits makes up 25 percent of the eye, and in humans the cornea only makes up 7 percent of the eye. Because of this difference, the test results would not be completely accurate or easily relatable back to humans. Once again, testing may be helpful and even necessary, but when the results are not always accurate or useful, it is hard to justify the suffering or death of the animals used.
Draize Eye Test



Animal Testing