Spectral attenuation of the mouse, rat, pig and human lenses from wavelengths 360 nm to 1020 nm.

The transmission spectrum of the lens is essential to calculate irradiance at the surface of the retina. Although the mouse is a common model for ophthalmic research, there is little information on the transmission of the mouse lens. Attenuation by the lens is partly dependent on lens thickness; however, the attenuation coefficient is independent of lens thickness. In this study, we measured the attenuation coefficients of the albino and pigmented mouse lens as well as those of the rat, pig, and human lenses, and provide a composite equation that describes the attenuation coefficients in the ultraviolet and visible bandwidths (360-700 nm). In the near infrared region (700-1020 nm), water absorption must be included to explain the measurements.