Determination and modeling of the 3-D gradient refractive indices in crystalline lenses

A simple method of constructing 3-D gradient refractive-index profiles in crystalline lenses is proposed. The input data are derived from 2-D refraction measurements of rays in the equatorial plane of the lens. In this paper, the isoindicial contours within the lens are modeled as a family of concentric ellipses; however, other physically more appropriate models may also be constructed. This method is illustrated by using it to model the 3-D refractive-index profile of a bovine lens.