Lens nucleus

Nucleus lentis

Sensory (eye & ear)OrgansHeadLeft and right

View left in 3D View right in 3D

What it is
The dense central core of the lens, made of the oldest fibre cells, some formed before birth.
Function
Forms the central, highest-refractive-index part of the lens.
Size
About 6 x 2.5 mm, growing and hardening with age.
Clinical note
A nuclear cataract turns yellow-brown with age and can temporarily improve near vision ("second sight").

Nearby sensory (eye & ear) structures Anterior chamber (aqueous humour), Ciliary body, Cornea, Corneoscleral limbus, Crystalline lens (cortex), Iris, Lens capsule, Pupil, Schlemm's canal, Zonular fibres (suspensory ligament of the lens)