The typical electric cataract seen in man was produced by passage of 28 to 150 watt-seconds of electrical energy through the rabbit eye. Lens vacuoles appeared initially, increased in size, and gradually disappeared, and were replaced by anterior subcapsular cataracts. Ultrastructurally the vacuoles were located between the epithelial cells. As the vacuoles disappeared the surrounding epithelium began to divide and to differentiate into small lens fibers. These new fibers produced new lens capsule material. In time the individual fibers produced opaque plaques that coalesced to form a central elevated anterior subcapsular cataract.