Method of Accelerating Corneal Wound Healing

A method for accelerating corneal wound healing or treating corneal haze in a human needing such treatment, comprising treatment of the affected individual with a topical ophthalmic formulation containing a therapeutically effect amount of least one compound of formula I:

• wherein:
• R1 is CO2R, CONR2R3, or CH2OR4:
• R is H, C1-6 straight chain or branched alkyl, C3-6 cycloalkyl, or phenyl, or R1 is a carboxylate salt of formula CO2−R+, where R+ is Li+, Na+, K+, or an ammonium moiety of formula +NR8R9R10R11;
• R2, R3 are independently H, C1-6 alkyl, C3-6 cycloalkyl, benzyl, phenyl, OH, OCH3, or OC2H5, provided that at most only one of R2, R3 is OH, OCH3, or OC2H5;
• R4 is H, C(O)R12, C1-6 alkyl, C3-6 cycloalkyl, benzyl, or phenyl;
• R5, R6, and R7 are independently H, CH3, C2H5, C(O)R12, or CO2R13;
• or R5 and R6 or R6 and R7 together constitute a carbonyl group (C═O), thus forming a cyclic carbonate;
• or OR5R1 together form a cyclic ester (a lactone), as illustrated below
• R8-R11 are independently H or C1-6 alkyl, each alkyl group optionally bearing an OH or OCH3 substituent;
• R12 is H, C1-6 alkyl, C3-6 cycloalkyl, benzyl, or phenyl;
• R13 is C1-6 alkyl, C3-6 cycloalkyl, benzyl, or phenyl;
• and
• indicates that the OR6 substituent can be arranged to afford the R or S absolute configuration: