The stain is also used in the preparation of Foraminifera for microscopic analysis, allowing the distinction between forms that were alive or dead at the time of collection.

[2] Rose bengal was originally prepared in 1882 by Swiss chemist Robert Ghnem, as an analogue of fluorescein.

[4] Rudolf Nietzki at the University of Basel identified the principal constituents of rose bengal as iodine derivatives of di- and tetra-chlorofluorescein.

[11] PV-10 (an injectable form of rose bengal) was found to cause an observable response in 60% of tumors treated, according to researchers in a phase II melanoma study.

Also confirmed was a "bystander effect", previously observed in the phase I trial, whereby untreated lesions responded to treatment as well, potentially due to immune system response.

This has been proven in vitro, in order to prove that rose bengal is still a possible option in the treatment of cancer, and further research should be done.

[19] Rose bengal has been used for ocular surface staining to study the efficacy of punctal plugs in the treatment of keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Rose bengal has been used as a protoplasm stain to discriminate between living and dead micro-organisms, particularly Foraminifera, since the 1950s when Bill Walton developed the technique.

[27] Rose bengal acetate can act as a photosensitiser and may have potential in photodynamic therapy to treat some cancers.