title: The incidence and progression of lens opacities.
abstract: Selected clinic patients were entered into a prospective longitudinal study to assess the incidence and rate of progression of lens opacities. Ninety-seven patients aged 15 to 88 years (median 63 years) were followed for two to 35 months (median 16 months). Lenses were photographed on a photo slit lamp and retroillumination cataract camera. Photographs were graded independently and then assessed in a side-by-side comparison. The incidence rate of cortical opacity was found to be 4% and for nuclear cataract between 11% and 20%. The rates of progression were 18% to 21% for cortical opacity, 14% to 16% for nuclear opacity, and 39% to 40% for posterior subcapsular opacities. These data suggest that these simple photographic means are sufficiently sensitive to detect changes in lens clarity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muñoz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007904:Lens Cortex, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology; D007907:Lens Nucleus, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010781:Photography; D011446:Prospective Studies