The Wavelength Dependence of Intraocular Light Scattering: A Review

Intraocular light scattering is a phenomenon with broad implications for theoretical, empirical and clinical vision fields. The purpose of this monograph is to provide a much needed review of its most central issue, wavelength dependency. Indeed, since Lord Rayleigh first provided the formulation to account for the blueness of the sky, numerous quantitative descriptions of scattering phenomena have been proposed with equally varying implications for wavelength dependence. Accounts of the most relevant physical theories are given in simple language. These theories have been called upon, at the most basic level, to account for the transparency of the ocular components, and at the highest level, how visual perception can be affected. Descriptions of the microanatomy of each of the major ocular components are made with reference to the various physical theories. Additional emphasis is given to the various methodologies by which intraocular light scattering is measured as well as the effects of aging and disease.