Introduction
The cornea, being the most innervated organ in the human body, houses sensory neurons that are primarily associated with pain.1–4 As a result, stimuli that are harmless to other parts of the body can cause corneal pain.3–7 Therefore, corneal injuries, such as traumatic abrasion, chemical injury, ulcers, ultraviolet exposure, and infection, can result in intense pain.
Topical ophthalmic anesthetics, such as oxybuprocaine, efficiently alleviate corneal pain in emergency and general care settings. However, ophthalmic prescriptions for analgesic purposes often result in abuse,8–10 as current ophthalmic anesthetics are short-acting with analgesic effects lasting only 10–30 min. The repetitive use of these anesthetics should be avoided because of concerns…