Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Here we propose optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a quantitative method for investigating cataracts. OCT provides volumetric and non-invasive access to the lens and makes it possible to rapidly observe the formation of opacifications in animal models such as mice. We compared the performance of two different wavelengths - 1060 nm and 1310 nm - for OCT imaging in cataract research. In addition, we present multi-contrast OCT capable of mapping depth-resolved scattering and average anterior cortical attenuation properties of the crystalline lens and quantitatively characterize induced cataract development in the mouse eye. Lastly, we also propose a novel method based on the retinal OCT projection image for quantifying and mapping opacifications in the lens, which showed a good correlation with scattering and attenuation characteristics simultaneously analyzed during the process of cataract formation in the lens.
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