Three-dimensional visualization of human cataract in vivo.

A human lens containing a cataract has been visualized in vivo by a computer transformation of a rotated set of Scheimpflug digital-image slices through the three-dimensional volume of the lens. At each angular position (incremented 3 degrees about the optical axis) of the camera a digital image of the ocular lens in vivo was acquired. Data acquisition was made with a series of 60 Scheimpflug images. The set of optical sections were aligned to correct for small eye movements during the data-collection process prior to computer transformation into a new set of slices, which are orthogonal to the optical axis of the eye. The use of slices orthogonal to the optical axis to visualize lenticular light scatter represents a new, simple technique, which can be performed on a personal computer to visualize in vivo human cataracts in three dimensions.