Spectroscopic characterization of human lenses
Author(s)
Borkman, Raymond Francis
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Abstract
We have available in our laboratory an experimental facility and theoretical competence for investigations in phosphorescence and fluorescence spectroscopy and other optical techniques for the study of polyatomic molecules. The aim of this project was to apply this resource to the study of human and animal lenses and lens proteins in the hope of characterizing cataractogenesis and aging, detecting the incipient incidence of cataracts before they become serious, and ultimately understanding the chemical processes responsible for lens aging and at least some classes of cataracts. The proposed study combined our spectroscopic competence, as physical chemists, with the ophthalmological competence of members of the staff of Emory University, School of Medicine. The research plan was presented in two parts. In Part I ("In Vitro Studies of Human Lenses") we used various spectroscopic techniques to document the physico-chemical changes accompanying clinically defined normal and cataractous lenses, and attempted to interpret the spectroscopic data at the molecular level. In Part II ("In Vivo Fluorescence, and Lens and Eye Damage by UV Radiation") we spectroscopically analyzed lenses previously exposed to UV radiation and compared these results with results from normally aging lenses. In the discussion which follows, we reiterate the original specific questions raised in our proposal and indicate the progress made in answering these questions.
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Date
1977
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Text
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Technical Report