Objective: Haze is an important complication after refractive photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). This paper was to investigate the inhibiting effects of tetrandrine on collagen type III after PRK in rabbits. Methods: Photorefractive keratectormy (PRK) was performed in 60 New Zealand white rabbits (120 eyes). 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.2% tetrandrine (Tet) eye drops, FML eye drops and normal salt solution (NS) was topically administrated after surgery respectively in the experimental rabbits. Corneal haze was observed under the slit lamp, and the samples from aqueous humor and cornea were obtained in postoperative 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month and 2 months following PRK for the histological examination under the transmission electron microscope. The change of collagen type III was detected using immunocytochemistry assay. Results: The haze was obviously reduced in Tet group in comparison with FML group and NS group after PRK surgery under the slit lamp (P < 0.01). Collagen type III was not expressed in the normal cornea. However, collagen type III showed the positive expression in NS group, Ted group and FML group (F = 13.039, P = 0.000), and the expression level was gradually decreased in Ted group compared with NS group and FML group (P < 0.01). No significant difference was seen in the expression of collagen type III between FML group and NS group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Tet inhibits the formation of haze by decreasing the expression of collagen type III at a dose-dependent manner.