Relationships between human cataracts and environmental radiant energy. Cataract formation, light scattering and...

This preliminary report has two parts. The first is based upon data obtained from a group of cataract patients in southern Florida (USA) with the object of relating the types of cataracts removed to their personal background and their protein biochemistry. Intra-capsular cataract surgery patients at the Venice Eye Clinic (Florida) were interviewed, and their extracted lenses were classified. The parameters were: age, place of residency, occupation, medical and family history and indoor/outdoor activity. Subcapsular cataracts were found mainly in the youngest patients and in those who were in Florida the least. Mixed cataracts predominated in the oldest patients, while non-nuclear cataracts were associated most with outdoor activity. Water-insoluble protein was elevated in nuclei of lenses with nuclear opacities. Soluble proteins in the nuclei of nuclear cataracts had increased levels of voided (heavy) protein, beta-crystallins, and less than 20 Kd peptides. The above changes were enhanced in brunescent cataracts. In lenses with cortical opacities, only increased size heterogeneity in the beta-crystallin region was observed. The second part of this report is based upon direct measurements of the optical properties of freshly extracted intra-capsular cataracts obtained in Rochester, New York (USA). The purpose was to attempt to learn the relative contributions that absorption, scattering, and fluorescence make toward obscuring vision. A general conclusion is that the shorter wavelengths of radiant energy in environmental lighting influence the above-stated optical properties the most, and thus appear to be the major contributors to obscured vision.