UV-B RADIATION-INDUCED CATARACT IN THE ROYAL-COLLEGE OF SURGEONS RAT

Cataractogenesis was studied in Royal College of Surgeon (RCS) rats wh ich carry a recessive gene for retinal dystrophy. To examine the impac t of this syndrome on cataractogenesis, the cortical lens damage in th e UV-B radiation-induced cataract and in the hereditary cataract were compared in homozygous (affected) and heterozygous (unaffected) pink-e yed, tan-hooded RCS rats. The findings from this investigation suggest that the early changes in both the radiation-induced anterior subcaps ular cataract and the hereditary posterior subcapsular cataract are at the level of the fibre cell membrane.