Cataract Surgery to Obtain Human Lens Material for the Study of Nuclear Cataracts

Launched by NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE (NEI) · Nov 3, 1999

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Progress has been made in elucidating causative factors for some cataracts but little is yet known about those factors involved in development of aging-related nuclear cataracts. The predominant theory of nuclear cataractogenesis is that the lens crystallins accumulate covalent modifications which ultimately lead to increased light scattering. This theory is based on several lines of evidence. Crystallins, the predominant components of the lens, are present at very high concentration and determine the refractive properties of the lens. A relationship between crystallin alterations and catar...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:
• • Patients with cataracts will be screened in order to determine eligibility.
• • Patients 45 years and older of either sex with clinically significant cataract will be admitted to this study.
• • Patients requiring cataract surgery should have either age related nuclear cataracts or cortical and/or posterior subcapsular cataract without nuclear cataract (controls).
• • Age related nuclear cataract is defined using LOCS II Clinical Classification as having Nuclear color of 0-2, Nuclear Opalescence of 2-5, Cortical Opacity 0-1, and PSC 0-1.
• • In addition, for controls, patients of either sex with clinically significant cortical or posterior subcapsular cataracts but having no nuclear cataract will also be recruited. These will have a LOCS grade of Nuclear Color 0-2, Nuclear Opalescence 0-1, Cortical 1-5, PSC 1.4.