Prevention of Direct and Photosensitized Ultraviolet Radiation Damage to the Ocular Lens

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Abstract
Exposure to ambient ultraviolet (UV) radiation (longer than 300 nm) over a lifetime appears to play a role in lens aging and nuclear cataract formation. The photochemical generation of fluorescent chromophores has been correlated with the increasing yellow to brown color of the aging lens nucleus and with polypeptide chain cross-linking progressively increasing the insoluble protein level. Acute exposure to 300 nm radiation has also been implicated in human, as well as in animal cortical cataracts. These cortical cataracts develop after rat lenses are exposed to 300 nm UV radiation at irradiance levels of 26 J or more. The Spectra-Shield® lens can be used as a UV filter and will completely prevent the generation of fluorescent compounds within the lens as well as the UV cortical cataracts. The Spectra-Shield lens also prevents the formation of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) protein photoreac-tion products in UV-exposed rat lenses derived from animals given a single dose of 8-MOP. Furthermore, the Spectra-Shield lens fully retains its ability to reflect all UV radiation after continuous exposure to over 2,500 J of 300 nm UV radiation.