Lenticular fluorescence as a poisson process.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether published data on lenticular fluorescence can be described in terms of the Poisson statistic.


METHODS
The intensity of the Poisson function is expressed in terms of estimates of the fraction of the incident light absorbed by the human lens. Functions calculated for ages 0 to 80 years for probabilities of different numbers of quanta absorbed are compared with experimental results.


RESULTS
To account for the observed data, a minimum of three exciting quanta (490 nm) absorbed has to be postulated for young lenses, but only two for older ones. At shorter wavelengths (380-450 nm), the tentative corresponding values are five and three, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The model based on the age-related and wavelength-dependent changes in the minimum number of quanta absorbed from five to two is consistent with an age-related increase in the number of fluorophores and in their conformational changes.
Weale
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RA
Age Concern Institute of Gerontology, King's College, London, United Kingdom.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000737:chemistry*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016012:Poisson Distribution