THE more benign character of acid burns of the eye was first contrasted with that of alkali burns by George Joseph Beer in 1813, who stated that "the effect of mineral acids of equal saturation is rarely so destructive for the cornea as is slaked lime." Since then there have been numerous clinical reports of ocular injury by many types of acid.1 The patients whose cases have been reported received burns of varying degrees of severity. Those with mild burns recovered uneventfully regardless of the type of treatment, whereas those exposed to high concentrations of acid usually had permanent corneal opacification, perforation of the globe or extensive symblepharon. Since it is impossible to determine the exact degree of exposure from a history of the accident, several investigators2 have determined the tolerance of the rabbit eye for a few drops of various concentrations of different acids. These experiments have