The surgical removal of cataracts will continue to be an important and necessary procedure throughout the foreseeable future. Consequently, there continues to be a need to develop improved techniques for cataract removal and better methods for correction of the loss of accommodation and refraction that follows cataract extraction. Insertion of a lens implant into the evacuated lens capsule (i.e., endocapsular implant) would presumably preserve the power of accommodation and would also restore refractive powers. Prototypes of tools and techniques to make such endocapsular implants already exist in very limited numbers. However, a major problem is opacification of the reconstituted lens due to excessive proliferation of epithelial cells. Obviously, detailed basic research is needed to determine a) the precise nature of epithelial response to various implant materials and b) possible ways to minimize this undesirable response of the lens epithelium. Since there have been no studies of this type, the proposed work will fill this gap, and thereby facilitate the successful development of clinically useful endocapsular lens implants. The work proposed will include, by necessity, the building of tools to evacuate the lens and to refill it with a purified collagen. Techniques will be perfected using isolated calf eyes before experiments are initiated on live rabbits. The lenses used will be microscopically evaluated.
