The optics of the eye is the key to a functioning visual system. The exact nature of the correlation between ocular optics and eye development is not known because of the paucity of knowledge about the growth of a key optical element, the eye lens. The sophisticated optics of the lens and its gradient of refractive index provide the superior optical quality that the eye needs and which, it is thought, has a major influence on the development of proper visual function. The nature of a gradient refractive index lens, however, renders accurate measurements of its development difficult to make and has been the reason why the influence of lens growth on visual function remains largely unknown. Novel imaging techniques have made it possible to investigate growth of the eye lens in the zebrafish. This study shows measurements using X‐ray Talbot interferometry of three‐dimensional gradient index profiles in eye lenses of zebrafish from late larval to adult stages. The zebrafish lens shows evidence of a gradient of refractive index from the earliest stages measured and its growth suggests an apparent coincidence between periods of rapid increase in refractive index in the lens nucleus and increased expression of a particular crystallin protein group.

Nanoceria (cerium oxide nanoparticles) have been shown to protect human lens epithelial cells (HLECs) from oxidative stress when used at low concentrations. However, there is a lack of understanding about the mechanism of the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of nanoceria when used at higher concentrations. Here, we investigated the impact of 24-hour exposure to nanoceria in HLECs. Nanoceria’s effects on basal reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial morphology, membrane potential, ATP, genotoxicity, caspase activation and apoptotic hallmarks were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) studies on isolated mitochondria revealed significant uptake and localization of nanoceria in the mitochondria. At high nanoceria concentrations (400 µg mL⁻¹), intracellular levels of ROS were increased and the HLECs exhibited classical hallmarks of apoptosis. These findings concur with the cells maintaining normal ATP levels necessary to execute the apoptotic process. These results highlight the need for nanoceria dose-effect studies on a range of cells and tissues to identify therapeutic concentrations in vitro or in vivo.

The search for an ocular drug delivery system that could provide long-acting effects without a detriment to the anatomy and physiology of the eye remains a challenge. Polyphenolic compounds (curcumin in particular) have recently gained popularity due to their powerful antioxidant properties; yet curcumin suffers poor stability and water solubility. A conventional eye drop formulation of curcumin in the form of a suspension is likely to suffer a short duration of action requiring multiple instillations. On the other hand, polymeric in-situ gelling inserts offer the prospect of overcoming these limitations. The aim of this study was to prepare, characterize and evaluate in vivo, polymeric, in-situ gelling and mucoadhesive inserts for ocular surface delivery of curcumin. Different types and ratios of biocompatible polymers (HPMC, CMC, PL 127 and PVA) and three plasticizers along with the solvent casting method were adopted to prepare curcumin inserts. The inserts were investigated for their physicochemical characteristics, applicability, and suitability of use for potential placement on the ocular surface. The prepared inserts revealed that curcumin was mainly dispersed in the molecular form. Insert surfaces remained smooth and uniform without cracks appearing during preparation and thereafter. Improved mechanical and mucoadhesive properties, enhanced in vitro release (7.5- to 9-fold increases in RRT₃₀₀ min) and transcorneal permeation (5.4- to 8.86-fold increases in Papp) of curcumin was achieved by selected in-situ gelling inserts compared to a control curcumin suspension. The developed inserts demonstrated acceptable ocular tolerability, enhanced corneal permeability, and sustained release of curcumin along with retention of insert formulation F7 on the ocular surface for at least two-hours. This insert provides a viable alternative to conventional eye drop formulations of curcumin.

The development of the eye requires the co-ordinated integration of optical and neural elements to create a system with requisite optics for the given animal. The eye lens has a lamellar structure with gradually varying protein concentrations that increase towards the centre, creating a gradient refractive index or GRIN. This provides enhanced image quality compared to a homogeneous refractive index lens. The development of the GRIN during ocular embryogenesis has not been investigated previously. This study presents measurements using synchrotron X-ray Talbot interferometry and scanning electron microscopy of chick eyes from embryonic day 10: midway through embryonic development to E18: a few days before hatching. The lens GRIN profile is evident from the youngest age measured and increases in magnitude of refractive index at all points as the lens grows. The profile is parabolic along the optic axis and has two distinct regions in the equatorial plane. We postulate that these may be fundamental for the independent central and peripheral processes that contribute to the optimisation of image quality and the development of an eye that is emmetropic. The spatial distributions of the distinct GRIN profile regions match with previous measurements on different fibre cell groups in chick lenses of similar developmental stages. Results suggest that tissue compaction may not be necessary for development of the GRIN in the chick eye lens.

The lens is a complex optical component of the human eye because of its physiological structure: the surface is aspherical and the structural entities create a gradient refractive index (GRIN). Most existent models of the lens deal with its external shape independently of the refractive index and, subsequently, through optimization processes, adjust the imaging properties. In this paper, we propose a physiologically realistic GRIN model of the lens based on a single function for the whole lens that accurately describes different accommodative states simultaneously providing the corresponding refractive index distribution and the external shape of the lens by changing a single parameter that we associate with the function of the ciliary body. This simple, but highly accurate model, is incorporated into a schematic eye constructed with reported experimental biometric data and accommodation is simulated over a range of 0 to 6 diopters to select the optimum levels of image quality. Changes with accommodation in equatorial and total axial lens thicknesses, as well as aberrations, are found to lie within reported biometric data ranges. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

In recent work, we showed how the optical response of the human eye’s crystalline lens can be modeled using a single function. We believe that this development will inform designs for applications such as intraocular implant lenses, and that it also has wider potential applications in areas including biomedical optics, ophthalmology and engineering.