Posterior penetrating injury in the rabbit eye: effect of blood and ferrous ions.

The effects of intravitreal injections of blood or ferrous chloride solutions on experimental posterior penetrating eye injury in the rabbit are described. An 8-mm standard posterior penetrating wound, without additional manipulation, healed without retinal detachment or membrane formation. Injection into the vitreous cavity of blood or ferrous chloride solution in addition to the wound resulted in fibroblastic proliferation with membrane formation. A critical amount of blood or iron solution was associated with marked traction and traction retinal detachment. Severe inflammation in association with the development of thick intravitreal membranes was also observed in eyes receiving the ferrous chloride solutions, the extent of which was related to the severity of the retinal detachment. These results show that iron is an important stimulus to inflammation and to intravitreal fibroblastic proliferation in rabbit eyes with posterior penetrating eye injuries.