Low temperature and acrylamide inhibit lens opacification caused by calcium

We studied lens opacification of rabbit lenses in culture. Opacification was produced by maintaining rabbit lenses in medium containing calcium concentrations as high as 10 mmol/l and the opacity was measured using LASER spectroscopy. Increasing calcium caused significant opacification in lens cortex while the transparency in lens nucleus was unchanged by these concentrations. The cortical opacity was inhibited by low temperature and acrylamide. The maximum inhibition of opacity occurred at a concentration of 1% acrylamide and a temperature of 4 degrees C. The opacification due to a phase separation in nuclear cells was unaffected by these concentrations of calcium.