Calcified cataractous lens

Abstract

We report a calcified cataractous lens in a 24-year-old man who had retinal degeneration in the right eye since childhood. The visual acuity had dropped to light perception. Clear corneal phacoemulsification was performed, and the shell of a 5.4 mm x 4.0 mm x 2.0 mm calcified substance was removed with a forceps using the can-opener technique. The specimen was analyzed using radiological study, histopathological examination, chemical element analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. Four years postoperatively, the patient's visual acuity was 20/200.

Spectral analysis and comparison of mineral deposits forming in opacified intraocular lens and senile cataractous lens

“…Fig 2B also displays the common IR spectra of the uncalcified and calcified areas of the isolated SCL as well as the HA reference sample by using a transmission FT-IR technique. It clearly indicates that the IR spectrum of calcified plaque exhibited several unique absorption peaks below 1200 cm −1 which was close to the IR spectrum of HA reference sample, suggesting the existence of HA in the calcified plaque [1][2][3]. The maxima peaks at 1651 and 1542 cm −1 were also observed in IR spectra of both uncalcified and calcified areas of SCL due to the absorption of the amide peptide backbone of protein [20,21].…”

“…The ocular IOL implantation has become the standard of care for the treatment of cataracts, but the opacification of IOLs after implantation has been extensively observed in numerous clinical cases around the world [10,17,18]. Although several possible mechanisms for this opacification due to the induction of HA have been proposed and examined by scanning electron microscope, FT-IR and Raman spectrometers, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy [3,10,22,30], the exact mechanism is still unclear. In this preliminary study, both FT-IR and Raman microspectroscopies were used to detect the difference in chemical components in the deposits of opacified IOL or calcified SCL.…”

“…In fully mature minerals, the carbonate ions may occupy two anionic sites of the apatite structure: CO 3 2− ions may substitute either OH − anions (type A carbonate) or the PO 4 3− (type B carbonate) in the crystal lattice of apatites or may be in unstable locations [34,36]. The IR spectra in this study contained absorption bands in the above sites in the spectral region of 860-890 cm −1 as follows: a band near at 871 cm −1 was due to the type B carbonate; a band at 878 cm −1 was assigned to type A carbonate and a band at 866 cm −1 was corresponded to an unstable carbonate location [34].…”

“…4A. Typical Raman spectra of the HA reference were found in the region of 800-1150 cm −1 , where domain phosphate bands were due to 1 (962 cm −1 ) and 3 (1045 and 1078 cm −1 ) vibrations [22]. The opacified IOL exhibited unique Raman spectral peaks at 800-900, 967 and 1000-1130 cm −1 .…”

“…A human senile cataract is always characterized by a loss of transparency due to opacification and/or calcification of the lens [1][2][3]. The human senile cataractous lenses (SCLs) have been easily removed by cataract surgery and replaced by an artificial, foldable intraocular lens (IOL).…”