[Lens changes occuring as a result of lowered pH (acidosis) (author's transl)].

In the lens, disorders of the metabolism occur, and, with them, active permeability (the cation pump with uptake of K and release of Na) changes to passive permeability and consequently Na ions enter with water. As a result, the lens increases in weight and a subcapsular (permeability) cataract develops. It is shown that the cattle lens in vitro increases in weight the lower the pH (6.5 greater than 7.5 greater than 8.5) of the surrounding fluid becomes. In a further experiment, 1 ml of buffered liquids with different pH were injected into the anterior chamber of the eyes of freshly slaughtered cattle. Here, too, the mechanically undamaged, untouched lens increased in weight more greatly as the pH (5.5 greater than 6.5 greater than 7.5 greater than 8.5) of the injected fluid was lowered. The significance of the lowering of the pH, e.g., in local inflammation (iritis, cyclitis, retinitis, etc.) or general acidoses (diabetes mellitus, galactosemia, hunger, extracorporeal circulation for atrophic kidney. Albright-, Love-, Fanconi-syndrome) for the appearance of incipient subcapsular clouding of the lens is pointed out.