Histopathological studies of human lenses

Histopathological findings in 33 intracapsularly removed lenses and 35 enucleated eye-balls are presented. Anterior and posterior subcapsular cataracts were mostly seen in traumatic and advanced senile cataracts. Characteristic features of the latter were cortical degeneration and liquefaction with formation of Morgagnian globules and nuclear sclerosis. Anterior lens epithelium had more tendency to undergo fibrous pseudometaplasia, while equatorial epithelium migrated posteriorly with "bladder cell" formation. In complicated and traumatic cataracts, apart from abnormal proliferation of lens epithelium, frequent synechiae with iris and/or cyclitic membranes were seen. Phacoanaphylactic uveitis was observed in 6 eyes with capsular defects. Pseudoexfoliative material was found in 5 cases. It is suggested, that domination of proliferative changes in traumatic and complicated cataracts, in contrast to senile cataracts, results from the availability of different mitogenic factors in injured and inflammed eyes and may be due to the younger age of patients in this group.