Advantage of Diphoterine (R), an ocular bathing solution, in the treatmentof ocular ammonia burns

Purpose: An experimental animal study was conducted to analyze the delay fo r ocular bathing in the treatment of severe ocular ammonia burns. Two solut ions of ocular wash, saline solution and Diphoterine(R) were compared. Material and methods: The study included 23 eyes of New Zealand albino rabb its that received for 1 minute 100 mu l of 15.3% ammonium solution. Each ey e was then washed with 250 of saline solution or 250ml Diphoterine(R) after a delay of 1, 3, 5, 10 or 30 minutes. Effects were assessed on the basis o f changes in anterior chamber pH, ammonia concentration in the anterior cha mber, and cytopathology examination of the burned corneas. Results: Ocular wash with Diphoterine(R) in the first minutes following ocu lar burn induced an inflexion of the pH curve unlike ocular wash with salin e solution. At 30 minutes, there was no inflexion of the pH curve and the a mmonia concentration in the anterior chamber was low. Contrary to ocular wa sh using Diphoterine(R), stromal edema was seen at cytopathological analysi s after washing with saline solution. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of the interest of ocular bathing in the first minutes following ocular burn by ammonia. The efficacy of ext ernal ocular washing with Diphoterine(R) was proven by biochemical and cyto pathological demonstrations. The importance of sequelae were related to the degree of initial stromal edema.