Rabbits are not chosen because they are good predictors of how humans will react to products, but for unrelated reasons. First, rabbits are inexpensive and easy to obtain. Second, rabbits are docile and unlikely to bite technicians who perform the tests, even if the rabbits are experiencing severe pain. Third, rabbits do not possess good systems for flushing irritants out of their eyes. Therefore, substances put into their eyes will remain to do damage.
Rabbits also have large eyes, so burning, corrosion and ulceration are easily observed.
The validity of these observations is highly questionable, however, because rabbits' eyes differ greatly from humans' eyes. The Draize skin irritancy tests is similar to the Draize eye irritancy test. Rats and mice are most commonly used. Their skin is shaved and exposed to highly concentrated solutions of products and then checked for signs of irritation, such as redness or blistering. In some cases, the product actually burns all the way through to the skin.