Serum factors precipitating with bovine lens extract in cataract patients and noncataract patients.

The present study tested the assertion that there exists exclusively in persons with senile cataracts a serum factor capable of precipitating with gamma crystallin extract from bovine lens. The results of this work do not support this assertion without the imposition of rigid specifications regarding test solution concentrations and observation time. Among the 84 subjects tested, 2 individuals had posterior subcapsular cataracts. The precipitates resulting from incubation with serum from these individuals were similar to those resulting from incubations with serum from senile cataract patients. The present study did not confirm the existence of exclusive serum factors capable of precipitating with gamma crystallin extract in patients with senile cataracts.