That lenticular opacities may result from severe electric shocks has been known for over two centuries. In 1722 de St. Yves1 described the onset of cataract in a patient who had been struck by lightning. After the advent of controlled electric power, Desbrières and Bargy2 reported similar lenticular changes after an electric shock. Although this type of cataract is by no means common, Robinson3 in 1910 had already reviewed about 40 cases reported in the literature. Since then clinical reports have accumulated until this figure has been almost doubled. Lightning cataract and electric cataract show similar pathologic processes and may be considered as identical phenomena. No mention of ocular changes was made by Priestley,4 who in 1776 studied the effects of electric discharge on the animal. Somewhat later Marat,5 in similar experiments, reported an opacity of the cornea after shocking the head of a dog