Sonography of the lens

Abstract

The lens is the gateway to the sensory retina. As the lens opacifies, the visual impression of the outside world becomes cloudy and eventually the patient becomes visually handicapped. A totally opaque lens locks the hands of the ophthalmologist since he can no longer image the vital structures of the posterior pole. Will a cataract removal restore vision to a patient with severe retinitis proliferans or an old retinal detachment? These questions may be answered after careful ultrasonography of the vitreoretinal structures. Indeed, a dislocated lens may be discovered floating in the vitreous and cataractous changes in the normally situated lens may be studied.