Light scattering of whole excised human cataractous lenses. Relationships between different light scattering parameters.

The light scattering intensities of 27 cataractous human lenses were obtained as a function of scattering angle. Unpolarized white light (tungsten) and polarized light of Hg lamp at 435.8 and 546.1 nm were used in the I parallel and I+ modes. Selected light scattering parameters such as relative scattering intensities (I45/I0), dissymmetry ratio (I135/I45) and depolarization ratios (I45/I0)+/(I45/I0) parallel were correlated with the age of lens with percent transmission using regression analysis. Excess scattering functions were calculated that quantitatively describe the quality of lens. These excess functions were also correlated with other scattering parameters. A method which can be used to estimate the light intensity that reaches the retina at different scattering angles for a cataractous lens once the back scatter intensity (slit lamp examination) is known is given.