We have developed an autonomous objective classification scheme for degree of nuclear opacification. The algorithm was developed by using a series of color 35-mm slides acquired with a Topcon photo slit-lamp microscope and use of standard camera settings. The photographs were digitized, and first, and second-order gray-level statistics were extracted from within circular regions of the nucleus. Classifications of severity were performed by using these features as input to a neural network. Training versus classification performance was tested by using photographs of different eyes, and test/retest classification reproducibility was evaluated by using paired photographs of the same eyes. We demonstrate good performance of the classifier against subjective assessments rendered by the Wilmer grading system [Invest. Ophthalmol. Visual Sci. 29, 73 (1988)] and markedly better test/retest reproducibility.