Use of guinea pigs as model to study galactose-induced cataract formation.

Because the dietary requirement for ascorbic acid is similar in humans and guinea pigs, galactose-induced cataract research with the guinea pig as an experimental model instead of the rat might be appropriate and may represent a closer analogy to galactosemic cataract formation in humans. In this study, dietary ascorbic acid was found in all guinea pigs to have a retarding or delaying effect on the development of galactose-induced cataracts.