Slit lamp biomicroscopy

Lenses were evaluated using slit-lamp biomicroscopy (TOPCON corp., Tokyo, Japan) after mydriasis by administration of tropicamide eye drops (Midorin P, Santen Pharmaceutical Company, Osaka, Japan). Cataracts were classified on a scale of stage 1–6 using the Hiraoka system [15 (link)] with minor modifications, as stage 1 indicates a normal transparent lens and stage 6 represents a nuclear mature cataract.
Following slit-lamp examination, rats were sacrificed and lenses were removed for further analyses. The amount of a-crystallin in the water-soluble fraction was used for Western blot and chaperone activity.

Slit lamp biomicroscopy (Topcon system) was performed weekly to evaluate the graft attachment, corneal transparency and other pathological changes. The corneal epithelial defects were assessed using fluorescein staining under cobalt blue light. Cross-sectional images of corneal tissue were obtained by spectral-domain AS-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering) to evaluate the graft attachment. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM, Confoscan 4, Nidek, Japan) was performed under general anesthesia to assess the changes in corneal cells and the status of inflammation. Automatic mode was used to capture images at the levels of the epithelium, anterior stroma and endothelium. The corneal surface curvature flowing sutureless LK was mapped with a corneal tomography system (Optikon 2000, Rome, Italy).