2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
11 Lens and Cataract
Chapter 3: Biochemistry and Physiology
This chapter includes a related video. Go to www.aao.org/bcscvideo_section11 or scan the QR code in the text to access this content.
Highlights
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The human lens is composed of 66% water and 33% protein.
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Water-soluble proteins make up 80% of a young lens; water-insoluble proteins increase with both increasing age and opacification and make up as much as 90% of a brunescent cataract.
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Anaerobic glycolysis produces most of the ATP used in lens metabolism.
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High glucose levels in an individual result in elevated sorbitol and fructose within the lens.
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Accommodation increases the curvature of the central anterior lens surfaces and the dioptric power of the eye.
See BCSC Section 2, Fundamentals and Principles of Ophthalmology, for additional discussion of several of the topics discussed in this chapter.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 11 - Lens and Cataract. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.