ABSTRACT
Ocular Hypertension is a condition characterized by high intraocular pressure in the eye without signs of optic nerve damage or vision loss, i.e. precursor to Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness globally. It is a very dangerous problem among eye care professionals due to the various deleterious effect on the eye, most of which results to irreversible blindness. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Ficus Polita Vahl leaf, stem and roots extracts on increased IOP in New Zealand rabbits and the wound healing effect of the leaves on cornea injury. This prospective, randomized experimental study was carried out using 16 healthy New Zealand rabbits that met the inclusion criteria. The rabbits were grouped into 5 groups; group (A, B, C, D, E) were used. The rabbits were administered 0.1% dexamethasone and 1g oral dexamethasone tablets twice daily for 14 days to induce IOP. After increased IOP was achieved, extracts of Ficus Polita Vahl leaf, stem bark and root bark was prepared and administered topically to group A, B, and C respectively while group D served as the control and received saline as treatment for 5days. Group E was used for wound healing and treated with Ficus polita vahl leaf extract. IOP level of the groups A, B, C, D increased by 44.83%, 72.31%, 63.87% and 82.87% respectively after administering 0.1% and 1mg of dexamethasone. Results showed there was a significant decrease in IOP in groups treated with stem and root extracts but no significant difference in the group treated with leaf extract. A 42.59% mean reduction in IOP after the treatment with root extract (p<0.05) and a 23.12% reduction in IOP after treatment with stem extract (p<0.05), a 0.99% reduction in IOP following treatment with leaf extract but significant wound healing activity in corneal induced injury. In conclusion, the study showed Ficus polita vahl root and stem have significant effect on raised intra-ocular pressure in the eye and may serve as a source of therapies to prevent blindness and the leaf could be a very effective therapeutic medication for injuries and infections.
