title: Qualitative assessment of undetectable melanin distribution in lightly pigmented irides.
abstract: A longstanding issue in biomedical research concerns the biophysical factors affecting the color diversity of the human irides and its connection with ocular diseases. Although the pigmentation and morphological characteristics of heavily and moderately pigmented irides have been extensively discussed in the literature, similar studies are scarce for lightly pigmented irides. We present computer experiments indicating that the spectral signature of these specimens may be directly affected by still undetectable melanin distributions in the outermost iridal layers. Our findings represent in silico evidence of this relationship which, in turn, may have implications in the investigation of the higher risk of death from metastatic ocular melanoma verified in individuals with light-colored irides.
authors.affiliation: University of Waterloo, School of Computer Science, Natural Phenomena Simulation Group, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1. gvgbaran@curumin.math.uwaterloo.ca
authors.forename: Gladimir V G
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Baranoski
authors.forename: Michael W Y
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D007498:Iris / Q000378:metabolism*; D008027:Light; D008543:Melanins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010783:Photometry / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000378:metabolism*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; D012168:Retinal Pigments