The Glenn A. Fry Award Lecture: optics of the crystalline lens.

The optical characteristics of the vertebrate crystalline lens are reviewed in terms of environmental concerns and spherical aberration. Lens shape and relative size are determined by such factors as whether the eye is to be used in air or water and whether it is to be used under scotopic or photopic conditions. The continued growth of the lens through life can be related to whether the lens exhibits positive or negative spherical aberration. In general, spherical aberration, as measured using a split laser beam method with excised lenses, is minimized in species with life histories indicating superior resolution ability. In addition, lens optical quality, as indicated by zonular differences in focal length, deteriorates with lens age. Finally, the measurement of spherical aberration may be used to monitor lens integrity during lens culture experiments.