Composition of phacoemulsificated human lenses analyzed by infrared spectroscopy

Purpose Phacoemulsification is one of the most popular techniques of treating cataract. During the surgery the vibrating phaco‐probe emulsifies the lens into pieces that are vacuumed into a cassette. Afterwards the shredded lens material is usually disposed. Currently spectroscopic methods are ordinarily applied for studying biological materials due to their high sensitivity, reliability and non‐destructive character. The study attempts to determine whether the infrared spectroscopy technique is appropriate to reveal the differences in the structure of the lenses, especially focusing on the content of substances indicating changes in the secondary protein structure or mineralization process. Methods In the study 99 randomly selected dispersed human lenses were analyzed. The procedures of phacoemulsification were performed at the Military Hospital in Cracow and Military Institute in Warsaw. Obtained shredded lenses were forwarded to the Institute of Nuclear Physics at Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow for further investigation. After appropriate preparation, the material was analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy using Nicolet spectrometer equipped with DTGS detector and ATR attachment. For the accurate interpretation of the spectra of lenses, exemplary samples of albumin, DNA, glucose and hydroxyapatite were also analyzed. Results The FTIR spectra of lenses are characteristic for natural tissues and are dominated by intense bandwidth derived from amides and lipids. The FTIR spectra of the lenses are most similar to the spectrum of albumin. Conclusions The material obtained during phacoemulsification is suitable for infrared spectroscopic investigation. The FTIR method allows for the determination of human eye lenses structure and enables to indicate the differences in their composition.