Deleterious effect mediated by glucose degradation, as a parallel pathway to Maillard reaction, was analyzed in terms of the feasibility of inducing photo-crosslinking in isolated bovine crystalline proteins when exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA)-visible light. These experiments showed evidence supporting the generation of a glucose-derived chromophore (GDC). The ability of this chromophore to induce oxidative damage in lens protein and bovine lens epithelial cells (BLEC) was further assessed. The analysis of dityrosine and carbonyl levels in lens proteins irradiated at 5 and 20% O 2 indicates the occurrence of mixed type I/type II photosensitizing mechanisms. When BLEC were exposed to photosensitized reactions induced by GDC a decrease in cellular viability and intracellular reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione ratio was observed, as well as an increase in the amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Our data suggest a major effect of type I photosensitizing mechanism in both lens proteins photo-oxidation and oxidative stress induced in BLEC.