Abstract

The computerized scanning fluorophotometer¹ was designed to measure fluorescein concentration in the vitreous but is also useful for assessing the distribution in the crystalline lens of the naturally occurring fluorogen which has peak absorption in the blue and fluoresces in the green.^2,3 Because this fluorogen increases in concentration with age and is associated with certain lens pathologies^2,3 it has been the subject of considerable interest. With some quite reasonable assumptions concerning the properties of this fluorogen and its distribution in the lens considerable information can, in principle at least, be derived from the output of the fluorophotometer. Specifically one is able to find the approximte density (in relative units) of the fluorogen in question at each point along the central axis of the lens. In addition the transmittance of the lens at each point can be separated into the part due to absorption and the part due to light scatter and, as a consequence, the approximate density of scattering centers can be found at each point.

© 1988 Optical Society of America