{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T21:22:47Z","timestamp":1768598567034,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768521600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100015045","name":"Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["112-177"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["112-177"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100015045","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Nuclear cataracts cause visual degradation through light scattering by aggregated proteins and particles within the crystalline lens. Existing computational models mainly consider submicron scatterers, while the optical impact of micrometer-scale particles observed in human nuclear cataracts remains underexplored. Objective: This study extends a LOCS III\u2013based computational cataract model by incorporating micrometer-scale particles and quantitatively evaluates their effects on forward and backward light scattering across nuclear cataract grades. Methods: A physics-based scattering model was implemented using optical simulation software (LightTools). Three particle populations\u2014nanometer-scale (S-type), submicron-scale (M-type), and micrometer-scale (L-type)\u2014were uniformly distributed within the lens. Retinal luminance reduction was analyzed for forward scattering, while slit-lamp-based backward scattering simulations were used to evaluate luminance distributions and chromaticity changes. Particle concentrations were varied within clinically reported ranges corresponding to LOCS III grades. Results: Micrometer-scale particles had minimal impact in early nuclear cataract grades but significantly increased forward scattering and luminance loss in advanced grades (NO5\u2013NO6). Backward scattering simulations revealed pronounced luminance enhancement and yellow chromaticity shifts with increasing micrometer-scale particle concentration. One micrometer-scale particle produced a luminance-reduction effect equivalent to approximately 6\u20137 submicron particles, depending on cataract severity. Conclusions: Including micrometer-scale particles enables a more complete optical representation of nuclear cataracts, linking retinal image degradation with slit-lamp appearance. The model provides a physically grounded framework for offline analysis and reference data generation to support clinical interpretation of cataract grading.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics16020286","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T09:28:12Z","timestamp":1768555692000},"page":"286","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Modeling the Influence of Large Particles on Optical Properties of Nuclear Cataracts: Insights from Enhanced LOCS III-Based Computational Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Chi-Hung","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung 407, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yu-Jung","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ph.D. Program of Electrical and Communications Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung 407, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yung-Chi","family":"Chuang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ph.D. Program of Electrical and Communications Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung 407, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"George C.","family":"Woo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Center for Eye and Vision Research, 17W Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong SAR, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fen-Chi","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, 2, Zhongzheng 1st. Rd., Lingya District, Kaohsiung City 80284, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shuan-Yu","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 406, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"428","article-title":"Vision through cataracts","volume":"17","author":"Hess","year":"1978","journal-title":"Investig. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Son, H.S., \u0141abuz, G., Khoramnia, R., Yildirim, T.M., Choi, C.Y., Knorz, M.C., and Auffarth, G.U. (2021). Visualization of Forward Light Scatter in Opacified Intraocular Lenses and Straylight Assessment. 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