ACTION SPECTRUM FOR OXYGEN‐DEPENDENT NEAR‐ULTRAVIOLET INDUCED CORNEAL DAMAGE*

Abstract
An action spectrum for oxygen‐dependent corneal epithelial damage in the rhesus monkey is reported for the near UV wavelength range. The corneal threshold increases monotonically with wavelength throughout the near UV but exhibits a pronounced shoulder in the 340–350 nm region. This behavior is consistent with studies of effects of near UV radiation on bacterial cells. However, the work reported here is unique in that it examines the nature of near UV induced photochemical processes in mammalian cells in situ.