Near ultraviolet radiation induced changes in goat lens

The possibility that the ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and other ambient sources as a major causative factor for the onset of cataract processes and photolytic changes of the eye lens constituents was studied. Normal goat lenses exposed in vitro to near UV radiation in the region of 315-400 nm (UV-A) revealed distinct morphological changes in the ultrastructure, increase in the inorganic elements; C, H, N, and a sharp shift in the intrinsic fluorescence spectra. UV exposure resulted in an alteration in the lambda max of the excitation spectra, a red shift in the emission absorption maxima and also an increase in the absolute fluorescence intensity. Scanning electron microscopic study showed a significant increase in the interfibrillar distances of the lens structural proteins. It is argued that the UV light induced covalent modifications of the lens proteins and their aggregations might have occurred due to the generation of photolytic products which then lead to oxidative damages.