Cosmetic preservatives as therapeutic corneoscleral tissue cross-linking agents

A method of cross-linking collagen present in a collagenous tissue comprising contacting the collagenous tissue with an amount of a formaldehyde releasing agent effective to cross-link the collagen, wherein the formaldehyde releasing agent is 1-(phenylmethoxy)-methanol, N-hydroxymethyl-N-(1,3-di(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-yl)-N′-hydroxy-methylurea, 1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethyl-hydantoin, N,N′-methylenebis[N-[3-(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl]]-urea, sodium hydroxymethyl glycinate, 5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, 3,5,7-triaza-1-azoniatricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane,1-(3-chloro-2-propen-1-yl)-chloride(1:1), 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-dimethyl-2-Imidazolidinone, 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-Imidazolidinone, tetrahydro-1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2(1H)-pyrimidinone, tetrahydro-1,3,4,6-tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)-imidazo[4,5-d]imidazole-2,5(1H,3H)-dione, polyoxymethylene urea, 4,4-dimethylyoxazolidine, 7a-ethyldihydro-1H,3H,5H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazole, 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-imidazolidinone methylated, dimethylhydantoin formaldehyde resin, 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-imidazolidinone, 1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-imidazolidinone, N,N′-bis(hydroxymethyl)-urea, 1,3-ethyleneurea, (Z)-3-(bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino)-2-(2-hydroxyethyl-(hydroxymethyl)amino) prop-2-en-1-ol, 1,3,5-trietethyl-1,3,5-tiazinane, 4,5-dihydroxy-2-imidazolidinone, 1-(hydroxymethyl)-5,5-dimethyl-2,4-Imidazolidinedione, 1,3,5,7-tetraazatricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane, 4,4′-methylenebis-morpholine, 2-chloro-N-(hydroxymethyl)-acetamide, N-(hydroxymethyl)-urea, polyoxymethylene melamine, 1,1′-[methylenebis(oxymethylene)]bis-benzene, 1,6-dihydroxy-2-5-dioxahexane (1,1′-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy)]bis-methanol, 2,4-imidazolidinedione, hydroxymethyl-5-5-dimethyl-2-4-imidazolidinedione, 3-hydroxymethyl-5-5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione, dimethoxy-methane, N-methylolethanolamine, 1H,3H,5H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazole-7a(7H)-methanol, Bioban N-95 (mixture of 5-methyl-1-aza-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octane, 5-hydroxymethoxymethyl-1-aZa-3,7-diox abicyclo[3.3.0]octane, and higher hydroxyalkoxymethyl oligomers), 5-methyl-1-aza-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octane, 4,4-dimethyl-oxazolidine, 4-ethyl-2-(1-methylethyl)-oxazolidine, 2-(hydroxymethyl)-2-nitro-1,3-propanediol, diethylamine/2-methyl-2 nitro-1,3-propanediol, dimethylamine-2-methyl-2-nitro-1,3-propanediol, pyrrolidine/2-methyl 2-nitro-1,3-propanediol, 2-furfural/2-methyl 2-nitro-1,3-propanol, N-hydroxy-2-propanamine, N-hydroxy-1-propanamine, N-hydroxy-ethanamine, N-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-propanamine, N-hydroxy-cyclohexanamine, N-ethyl-N-hydroxy-ethanamine, 1,1′-[methylenebis(oxy)]bis[2-methyl-2-nitro-(9CI)]-propane, hydroxylamine (HA) nitrone, N-ethylhydroxylamine (EHA) nitrone, N-propylhydroxylamine (PHA) nitrone, N-t-butyl hydroxylamine (tBuHA) nitrone, Cyclohexanedicarboxaldehyde (CHDA)-bis-isopropylhydroxylamine (IPHA) nitrone, N-benzyl hydroxylamine (N-BzHA) nitrone, or vanillin-isopropylhydroxylamine (IPHA) nitrone.