Abstract: Diabetic cataract is one of the ocular complications caused or aggravated by diabetes mellitus (DM), its pathogenesis has not been elaborated completely. The lens capsule is an acellular, transparent, smooth basement membrane which acts as a barrier secreted by the lens epithelial cells. In hyperglycaemic states, the permeability of lens capsule membrane is altered and a series of pathological changes occur including: histological abnormalities such as fibrosis of anterior lens capsule, loss of intercellular junctions and gaps between epithelial cells and capsule membrane, ultrastructural abnormalities such as epithelial complex structure, gap laxity, finger-like protrusions and lamellar separation, as well as abnormal expression of basement membrane-related molecules. The balance of internal homeostasis of the lens will then accelerate the development of cataracts. Progress of researches on diabetic anterior lens capsule changes help to rethink the mechanism of diabetic cataract from a different perspective and provide a pathological basis for diagnosis and prevention. (Int Rev Ophthalmol, 2023, 47: 322-327)

Key words: diabetic cataract, anterior lens capsule, pathology, ultrastructure, molecular pathology