Changes in Light Scattering Intensity of the Transparent Lenses of Subjects Selected from Population-Based Surveys Depending on Age: Analysis through Scheimpflug Images

Abstract

The physiological ageing changes of decreasing lens transparency were objectively evaluated in a total of 1,040 eyes selected from 1,685 individuals who were the subjects of population-based cataract epidemiological surveys performed in three climatically different survey fields in Japan. The lens transparency changes were evaluated from the light scattering intensity on thirteen different lens layers seen in slit images taken by the latest type of Scheimpflug camera. The mean percentage prevalence of cataracts in all the epidemiological survey subjects including grading from I to III, which was also judged objectively through documented images, was 64.6% in the Noto subjects, 46.6% in the Hokkaido subjects and 38.0% in the Okinawa subjects. The lens transparency at all of the measuring points decreased with ageing. The above changes, seen in the lenses of subjects in their 40s to 60s, were obviously more prominent compared with those seen in subjects in their 40s. Although there were some differences in transparency decrease with ageing among the subjects of the three areas, the authors tentatively propose to show the data obtained from the Noto subjects as representative of Japanese individuals. Lens transparency changes on each lens layer showed characteristic ageing changes and those of the representative four layers showed an exponential decrease in transparency. The decreasing ratio might accelerate from age as early as the mid-40s.

An Image Analysis Study of Cataract Development after Trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C

“…Our regression analysis revealed that older age, myopic refraction, amount to difference between preoperative and postoperative IOPs, systemic hypertension and female gender are associated with cataract development and/or progression. We agree with other authors that age is an associated factor for cataract development following filtering surgeries [3][4][5]. Most of our patients had open-angle glaucoma and myopic refraction, which may partially explain the high percent of cataract development in the current study [1,2,21,24,25].…”

“…This most effective and sight-saving method of reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) in the treatment of glaucoma also carries a risk of cataract development, especially in elderly patients or in eyes with mild lens opacity before the surgery [3][4][5]. Several authors have reported that approximately 6-47% of patients who have had filtering surgery for glaucoma develop a cataract within a couple of years [5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Early Lens Changes Seen in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis Applying Image Analysis Processing of Scheimpflug and Specular Microscopic Images

“…It has already been reported [7] that light scattering intensity of all lens layers increases with ageing and that scattering of the anterior capsule and subcapsular area is usually higher than that of the posterior part in transparent lenses. In this investigation, the light scattering intensity measured in Scheimpflug images led to the following two findings: the light scattering intensity of the anterior lens capsule and subcapsular layer was slightly higher than that of the posterior layer in groups C and D ( fig.…”

An Index for Human Lens Transparency Related to Age and Lens Layer: Comparison between Normal Volunteers and Diabetic Patients with Still Clear Lenses

“…Fujisawa and Sasaki [7] measured the peak height of light scattering intensities along the theoretical optical axis of thirteen layers in the transparent lenses of Japanese subjects using a Nidek EAS-1000 instrument. They reported that the most prominent changes of aging were noticed at the central clear zone followed by the anterior adult nuclear layer, the anterior outer and inner stripes of the fetal nucleus, the posterior outer and inner stripes of the fetal nucleus and the anterior capsular area including a part of the anterior clear zone of disjunction.…”

“…We selected these six layers because the previous report of Fujisawa and Sasaki [7] showed a strong correlation between the age and peak height in these layers, all located in the anterior to the central part of the lens. Moreover, the decrease in light scattering in the posterior cortex and capsule with aging was explained as an artifact of the method [3][4][5][6][7]9].…”