Studies on the Scatter of Light in the Dioptric Media of the Eye as a Basis of Visual Glare

Abstract

Introduction Sensitivity to scotomatic glare increases slightly up to the age of 40 years, and above 40 years it shows a more rapid increase approaching an asymptotic maximum above 80 years.^1,2 There is a parallelism between glare sensitivity and the clarity of the lens. In young individuals the lens is clear while an increase in density is noticed in individuals above age 40.^3,4 In individuals with incipient or mature cataracts, glare sensitivity is exceedingly high, and with aphakic corrections after removal of the lenses, glare sensitivity is lower than expected in accordance with age.¹ This relationship between glare sensitivity and lens density suggests that the scatter of light in the lens is to a large extent responsible for the sensation of glare. If glare is a function of scatter of light during the normal physiological increase in opacity of the lens, it would be of great interest