PURPOSE: With age, the mammalian lens forms successive layers of crystallin protein fibers which infoliate with lens growth and development. As heavy metals generally bind to tissue protein, heavy metals are posited to sequester within the lens with age. Therefore, this study aims to compare heavy metals in human crystalline lens of older adults to known physiologic blood and urine levels and assess the association between concentrations in the lens and metabolic biomarkers. METHODS: Consecutive lens specimens obtained during cataract surgery by phacoemulsification were subjected to atomic spectrometry for heavy metal content. A one-sample RESULTS: All heavy metal levels were elevated in lens specimens compared to blood and urine with the exception of iron ( CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the human crystalline lens accumulates heavy metals with age and demonstrate the correlation between abnormality of metabolic function and heavy metal deposition in older adult lens.