Lens opacity: a population study

Age-corrected normal values for the Opacity Lens Meter (OLM) 701 were established by measuring 1598 eyes of 799 healthy volunteers. This study revealed a remarkable age-relation for the normal values. The average readings of the OLM of the 30-year-old subjects were around 10 units whereas the average for the 65-year-olds was close to 20 units. The best fit of the opacity vs. age was a quadratic function. The interindividual variation was small in the young and quite large in the older population. The correlation between contralateral eyes was high (R = 0.93).