Fleischer rings are pigmented rings in the peripheral

cornea The cornea is the transparency (optics), transparent front part of the eyeball which covers the Iris (anatomy), iris, pupil, and Anterior chamber of eyeball, anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and Lens (anatomy), lens, the cornea ...

, resulting from

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

deposition in basal epithelial cells, in the form of

hemosiderin Hemosiderin image of a kidney viewed under a microscope. The brown areas represent hemosiderin Hemosiderin or haemosiderin is an iron-storage complex that is composed of partially digested ferritin and lysosomes. The breakdown of heme gives ri ...

. They are usually yellowish to dark-brown, and may be complete or broken. The rings are best seen using the

slit lamp In ophthalmology and optometry, a slit lamp is an instrument consisting of a high-intensity light source that can be focused to shine a thin sheet of light into the eye. It is used in conjunction with a biomicroscope. The lamp facilitates an ...

under cobalt blue filter. They are named for Bruno Fleischer. Fleischer rings are indicative of

keratoconus Keratoconus is an eye disorder in which the cornea, the transparent front part of the eye, gradually thins and bulges outward into a cone shape. This causes distorted vision, including blurry vision, double vision, increased nearsightedness, ...

, a degenerative corneal condition that causes the cornea to thin and change to a conic shape.

Confusion with Kayser–Fleischer rings

Some confusion exists between Fleischer rings and

Kayser–Fleischer ring Kayser–Fleischer rings (KF rings) are dark rings that appear to encircle the cornea of the human eye, eye. They are due to copper deposition in the Descemet's membrane as a result of particular liver diseases. They are named after Germany, Germa ...

s. Kayser–Fleischer rings are caused by

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

deposits in descemet's membrane of cornea, and are indicative of

Wilson's disease Wilson's disease (also called hepatolenticular degeneration) is a genetic disorder characterized by the excess build-up of copper in the body. Symptoms are typically related to the brain and liver. Liver-related symptoms include vomiting, wea ...

, whereas Fleischer rings are caused by iron deposits in basal epithelial cells. One example of a medical condition that can present with Fleischer rings is

References

{{Eponymous medical signs for eyes and ears Eye diseases Eye color

Confusion with Kayser–Fleischer rings

See also

References