The Response of Lens according to Damaged Capsule Size on the Experimentally Induced Traumatic Cataract in Rabbit

ABSTRACT

In the present study, we attempted to reveal the response of lens on induced traumatic cataract which were removed the anterior capsule with 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, 4.0 mm size in six rabbits. We examined histopathological change of the wounded lenses by means of the slit-lamp and electronmicroscope. We found opacities in wounded area increased regardless of wound diame-ter. Electronmicroscopic findings were similar to normal single-layer cuboidal anterior epithelial cells at 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, 4.0 mm one day after injury. There were, however, elongated epithelial cells with abun-dant fine filaments and slightly edematous lens fiber cells in 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm groups at 1 week after injury. These were observed as a small superficial scars at the wound site. We considered these changes as an effort of lens to delay the progression to the total cataract . We noted the widening of intercellular spaces, loss of cell membrane, decrease of intracel-lular organelles and severe change of the lens fiber rows in 4.0 mm group at 3 weeks after injury. We observed these changes as the total cataract in gross. Taken together, we revealed that lens epithelial cells in 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm in wound diameter stop the progression toward to the total cataract. However, lens epithelial cells at 4.0 mm in wound diameter could not obstruct the progression toward to the total cataract. We documented different stages of cataract formation and microstructure of the wounded lens, which have different wound sizes.