Ocular Chemical Burns Secondary to Unintentional Instillation of Aqua Regia Hobbyist Reagent: Not All That Glitters Is Gold

We report 2 cases of unintentional ocular self-administration of aqua regia, a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids, used by hobbyists to determine gold purity. Aqua regia is commercially available and supplied in 15-mL eyedrop bottles that resemble those containing pharmacologic eyedrops (Figure 1). This poses a patient safety hazard that may produce severe and irreversible acid burn injuries to the eye.