Problems associated with the use of 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IDU) in the treatment of herpes simplex keratitis can be attributed largely to the polar nature of IDU resulting in its poor permeability across the lipoidal epithelial layer of the corneal membrane. Five aliphatic 5'-esters of IDU were synthesized and evaluated as prodrugs for potential use in the treatment of deep ocular infections such as stromal keratitis, iritis, and even retinitis. A parabolic relationship between in vitro corneal membrane permeability and carbon chain length of prodrugs is evident. For a given prodrug, enzymatic hydrolysis proceeded most readily in iris-ciliary body, followed by cornea and aqueous humor. An increase in carbon chain length made the prodrugs more enzymatically labile but more resistant to chemical hydrolysis at pH 7.4 and 34 degrees C. The 5'-butyryl ester of IDU exhibited an approximately fourfold increase in aqueous humor IDU concentration relative to IDU at 25 min following instillation of 25-microliters 5 mM solutions.