Changes in the permeability of the lens capsule in senile cataract.

When the water permeability of the lens capsule of a group containing all types of cataractous lenses is compared with a group of transparent lenses matched for age, there is no significant difference in permeability between the groups. If however, only those cataracts are selected which show changes in the cortex, namely, cuneiform opacities or 'water clefts', then the correlation between the water content of the cortex of these lenses and the permeability of their capsules is significant.