Experimental lens-induced granulomatous endophthalmitis.

Experimental lens-induced granulomatous endophthalmitis is an experimental autoimmune disease that is histopathologically identical to the human disease known as phacoanaphylactic endophthalmitis or lens-induced uveitis. The capacity to develop experimental disease after lens injury can be passively transferred to virgin animals with hyperimmune serum. Fluorescein-labeled anti-IgG and anti-C'3 antisera bind to the lenses of appropriately sensitized animals after lens injury but not to the injured lenses of unsensitized control animals. Cobra Venom factor which inhibits C'3 prevents the development of lens-induced granulomatous uveitis in appropriately sensitized animals. Hypersensitized animals develop a massive Arthus-like reaction. On the basis of these observations we feel that experimental lens-induced granulomatous endophthalmitis is an immune complex disease. Because the experimental disease is histopathologically identical to human lens-induced uveitis or phacoanaphylactic endophthalmitis we believe an immune complex mechanism of immunopathogenesis is important in phacoanaphylactic endophthalmitis.