Topographic correspondence between total and non-freezable water content and the appearance of cataract in human lenses

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Abstract
Eight intracapsular and 18 extracapsular human surgical specimens were stereophotographed. Each lens was divided into 10 areas, separating those which appeared transparent from those that showed opacities. Samples weighing 6-12 mg from ech area were investigated. The total water content was determined by thermogravimetric analysis; the freezable water content was measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The difference between the two provided the non-freezable water content. Graphic presentation illustrates the correspondence of high total water, low non-freezable water content with location of the turbidity in the lens. Pairwise, statistical comparison shows that in intracapsular human surgical specimens the non-freezable water content in the clear areas of both cortex and nucleus was significantly greater than in the opaque areas.