Optical and biometric relationships of the isolated pig crystalline lens.

AIM: To investigate the interrelationships between optical and biometric properties of the porcine crystalline lens, to compare these findings with similar relationships found for the human lens and to attempt to fit this data to a geometric model of the optical and biometric properties of the pig lens.

METHODS: Weight, focal length, spherical aberration, surface curvatures, thickness and diameters of 20 isolated pig lenses were measured and equivalent refractive index was calculated. These parameters were compared and used to geometrically model the pig lens.

RESULTS: Linear relationships were identified between many of the lens biometric and optical properties. The existence of these relationships allowed a simple geometrical model of the pig lens to be calculated which offers predictions of the optical properties.

CONCLUSIONS: The linear relationships found and the agreement observed between measured and modeled results suggest that the pig lens confirms to a predictable, preset developmental pattern and that the optical and biometric properties are predictably interrelated.