Iron-containing corneal rust rings treated with desferrioxamine.

INJURY to the cornea with an iron-containing foreign body usually leaves a rust ring. Most surgeons advise complete removal of any rust, but this often causes considerable trauma to the already injured cornea. Desferrioxamine ("Desferal", Ciba Laboratories) is an iron-free compound isolated from a strain of Streptomycespilosus, which binds ferric ions to form an octahedral complex ferrioxamine. Theoretically 100 parts by weight of desferrioxamine can bind 8-5 parts of ferric ion. It has been used with some success in the removal of experimental corneal rust rings in animals by Galin, Harris, and Papariello (1965) and in man by Valvo (1967). Wise (1966) found that desferrioxamine was not successful in the treatment of experimental siderosis bulbi, vitreous haemorrhage, and corneal blood-staining. The present study was designed to assess the value of topical desferrioxamine in the treatment of iron-containing corneal rust rings as compared with either surgical removal of the rust or expectant treatment.