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0:00
Hello everyone. I'm
Dr. Akshay Badakere.
I'm a pediatric
ophthalmologist working
at Sankara Nethralaya
Chennai and I will
be talking about an
introduction to cataracts.
0:12
The objectives of my talk are,
I will be talking about
what cataracts are.
A brief anatomy and
embryology of the lens.
Why senile cataracts happen.
I'll also be talking
about cataracts in adults
and children and
the various types,
and then I will conclude.
0:30
The lens is an optically
clear structure
located behind the iris
and in front of the vitreous
body and the retina.
The shape, clarity, and
the refractive index
of the lens enables it to
focus light onto the retina.
Any loss of transparency
of the lens
is defined as a cataract.
0:50
Let's look at the basic
anatomy of the lens.
The lens essentially is
made of a central nucleus
surrounded by an anterior
and posterior capsule
and in between the
nucleus and the capsule
is the cortical layer.
1:05
Let's look at the
embryology of the lens.
The lens begins as a thickening
of the surface ectoderm
overlying the optic vesicle.
This then invaginates
to form the lens pit.
This lens pit closes to
form the lens vesicle.
Primary lens fibres
fill the lumen,
followed by proliferation
of epithelial cells,
which continues throughout life,
leading to development of
secondary lens fibres.
It is these secondary
lens fibres
which forms the
nucleus of the lens.
1:36
To recollect the embryology,
the lens is nothing but
the surface ectoderm
and optic vesicle interacting,
which leads to formation
of the lens placode,
followed by formation
of the lens pit,
and finally formation
of the lens vesicle.
