Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The British Journal of Ophthalmology logoLink to The British Journal of Ophthalmology
. 1986 Jun;70(6):421–426. doi: 10.1136/bjo.70.6.421

Rise in lens temperature on exposure to sunlight or high ambient temperature.

A A Al-Ghadyan, E Cotlier
PMCID: PMC1041033  PMID: 3718905

Abstract

The effect of increase ambient temperature and sunlight on the temperatures of the rabbit lens and posterior chamber (PC) aqueous humour was measured by needle thermistor probes while the rectal temperature was monitored. Exposure of rabbits to sunlight (35 degrees-42 degrees C), in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, resulted in significant temperature increases in PC (4.3 degrees C), lens (3.2 degrees C), and rectum (2.3 degrees C). Returning animals to the shade resulted in a progressive decrease in the temperatures of the PC or lens in the tested eye, but repeating exposure to sunlight resulted in significant increases of the baseline (PC) temperature (increase 2.68 degrees C) of the second eye. Exposure of rabbits to sunlight at 49 degrees C in Chandigarh, India, resulted in increased PC temperature of 4.48 degrees C after 9 minutes. Increased PC and lens temperatures after exposure to sunlight are due both to an ambient temperature effect through the cornea and to increased body temperature. In dry and hot tropical areas of the world temperature increases in the lens after exposure to sunlight may initiate or accelerate the formation of senile cataracts.

Full text

PDF
421

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Crabbe M. J. Low incidence of cataract in Hawaii despite high exposure to sunlight. Lancet. 1983 Mar 19;1(8325):649–649. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)91823-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dhir S. P., Detels R., Alexander E. R. The role of environmental factors in cataract, pterygium and trachoma. Am J Ophthalmol. 1967 Jul;64(1):128–135. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(67)93353-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Edwards M. J., Mulley R., Ring S., Wanner R. A. Mitotic cell death and delay of mitotic activity in guinea-pig embryos following brief maternal hyperthermia. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1974 Dec;32(3):593–602. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fatt I., Forester J. F. Errors in eye tissue temperature measurements when using a metallic probe. Exp Eye Res. 1972 Nov;14(3):270–276. doi: 10.1016/0014-4835(72)90013-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Harding J. J., Rixon K. C. Carbamylation of lens proteins: a possible factor in cataractogenesis in some tropical countries. Exp Eye Res. 1980 Nov;31(5):567–571. doi: 10.1016/s0014-4835(80)80015-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hiller R., Giacometti L., Yuen K. Sunlight and cataract: an epidemiologic investigation. Am J Epidemiol. 1977 May;105(5):450–459. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LANGLEY R. K., MORTIMER C. B., MCCULLOCH C. The experimental production of cataracts by exposure to heat and light. Arch Ophthalmol. 1960 Mar;63:473–488. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1960.00950020475006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lakhanpal V., Schocket S. S., Richards R. D., Nirankari V. S. Photocoagulation-induced lens opacity. Arch Ophthalmol. 1982 Jul;100(7):1068–1070. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1982.01030040046003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Minassian D. C., Mehra V., Jones B. R. Dehydrational crises from severe diarrhoea or heatstroke and risk of cataract. Lancet. 1984 Apr 7;1(8380):751–753. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)91274-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Miranda M. N. The geographic factor in the onset of presbyopia. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 1979;77:603–621. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pirie A. Photo-oxidation of proteins and comparison of photo-oxidized proteins with those of the cataractous human lens. Isr J Med Sci. 1972 Aug-Sep;8(8):1567–1573. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. SCHWARTZ B. ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE AND THE OCULAR TEMPERATURE GRADIENT. Arch Ophthalmol. 1965 Aug;74:237–243. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1965.00970040239022. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. SCHWARTZ B. THE EFFECT OF LID CLOSURE UPON THE OCULAR TEMPERATURE GRADIENT. Invest Ophthalmol. 1964 Feb;3:100–106. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Voaden M. J. Effect of temperature on cell division in the cultured rabbit lens. Exp Eye Res. 1971 Jan;11(1):7–14. doi: 10.1016/s0014-4835(71)80058-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Zigler J. S., Jr, Jernigan H. M., Jr, Perlmutter N. S., Kinoshita J. H. Photodynamic cross-linking of polypeptides in intact rat lens. Exp Eye Res. 1982 Sep;35(3):239–249. doi: 10.1016/s0014-4835(82)80048-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Zigman S., Schultz J. B., Yulo T., Grover D. Effects of near -UV irradiation on lens and aqueous humor proteins. Isr J Med Sci. 1972 Aug-Sep;8(8):1590–1595. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Zigman S. The role of sunlight in human cataract formation. Surv Ophthalmol. 1983 Mar-Apr;27(5):317–325. doi: 10.1016/0039-6257(83)90232-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The British Journal of Ophthalmology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES