title: Idiopathic true exfoliation of the lens capsule.
abstract: The ophthalmic literature of the past half century contains relatively few reports of true exfoliation of the lens capsule, reflecting a reduction in the occupation-related occurrence of "glassblower's cataract." The authors report 11 eyes (7 patients) with a diaphanous membrane arising from the anterior lens capsule, which they have identified by slit-lamp biomicroscopy. None of the seven patients had had extended exposure to an infrared-emitting heat source or ocular trauma; one patient with bilateral true exfoliation of the lens capsule had a history of unilateral herpes simplex keratitis. The average age of these patients at the time of diagnosis was 85.4 years. Identification of these 11 eyes by two ophthalmologists during a 6-year period suggests that idiopathic true exfoliation of the lens capsule has been underdetected, under-reported, or both.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Cashwell
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Holleman
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: van Rens
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000473:pathology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology*; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology*