Specular microscopy of the human lens.

Some specular features of the normal and abnormal human lens are described and recorded in vivo by macrophotography. Anteriorly the lens exhibits three distinct specular zones: a coarse shagreen, an epithelial pattern, and a lens fibre pattern. The posterior specular zone is relatively featureless. Uncorrected values for epithelial cell diameter in the central zone of the normal lens gave a mean of 13.9 microns. Lens fibre diameter in the same zone was 13.7 microns. The 'relief images' of the adult lens are also described, including perinuclear changes which have been termed retrodot lens opacities.