Light scattering of normal human lens I. Application of random density and orientation fluctuation theory.

Light-scattering intensities in the I parallel and I+ mode were obtained on thin sections of three human lenses. Random density and orientation fluctuation theory, without cross correlation, was employed to evaluate light-scattering parameters. Both the density correlation distances, as well as the orientation correlation distances, were related to structural elements in the lens fiber cell that have been observed by other investigators with different techniques. The magnitude of these fluctuations were evaluated, and it was demonstrated that the density fluctuations are the main contributors to light scattering in normal human lenses. Changes in the light-scattering parameters were evaluated as a function of position within the lens. The changes observed agree with the biochemical data in the literature that reflects that an aging process occurs when one proceeds from the periphery of the lens toward the center.