Rapid development of corneal lesions in rats produced by heavy ions.

Scanning electron micrographs of heavy ion irradiated corneas demonstrate a significant correlation with the heavy ion beam: The average number of plasma membrane lesions per unit area of corneal surface is correlated with the particle fluence of the beam. This observation corroborates what has already been suggested theoretically about heavy ion tracks and what has been shown experimentally through etched plastics, developed emulsions, and bubble chambers. But the new data indicate that particle tracks occur in biological tissues as well, and that a single heavy ion is responsible for each membrane lesion.