Journal
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPTOMETRY
Volume 91, Issue 3, Pages 226-239Publisher
BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1111/j.1444-0938.2008.00255.x
Keywords
allometry; compaction; growth; lens; refractive index; stiffness
Categories
Funding
- NEI NIH HHS [R01 EY 014225] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Understanding the normal functioning of the human lens and its role in the development of disorders of vision, such as presbyopia and cataract, requires a thorough knowledge of how the lens grows and how its properties change with age. Many of these properties can be obtained only by studying the isolated organ in vitro. In addition, because of the difficulties in obtaining human tissues, animal lenses are frequently used as models for the human lens. Information is needed for these as well. In this review, current knowledge of lens growth and factors that affect growth are examined in a variety of species. Topics covered include changes in lens weight, dimensions, stiffness and refractive index distribution with age and the influence of other factors such as gender, environment and body size. From these, it has become clear that lens growth is not greatly affected by external influences. Although there are many similarities in the growth of lenses from different species, humans (and probably all primates) have distinctly different growth patterns, with prenatal and postnatal growth having different regulatory mechanisms. As a result, human lens properties are different from those of other species. Unfortunately, many of the published data are unreliable, presumably because of post-mortem changes, making it difficult to extrapolate in vitro observations to the in vivo situation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available