Understanding Corneal Fibril Reorientation in Response to External Loading
Authors: Zhou, D., Abass, A., Eliasy, A., Movchan, A., Movchan, N., and Elsheikh, A.
Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publication Date: Sep 2019
Mean and standard deviation of fibril density at all data points across specimen width recorded at s strain of (a) 0%, (b) 1.4%, (c) 2.8%, (d) 5%, and (e) 8%. The 16 discretised orientations considered in the figures are shown in (f). The orientations correspond to angles based on the local coordinate system, and this definition was adopted in the numerical modelling. Error bars represent the standard deviation of fibril density values.
Summary:
The human eye is a fascinating and complex organ. In particular, the cornea, the outermost layer of the eye, plays a crucial role in vision. Our research focuses on understanding how the cornea's collagen fibrils, which provide structural support, reorient themselves in response to external factors such as injury, surgery, or disease. This is important because a better understanding of this process could improve the outcomes of corneal surgeries and treatments.
We conducted a series of experiments to monitor corneal fibril reorientation under different levels of strain. We then used the data from these experiments to develop a numerical model that simulates the fibril reorientation process. This model allowed us to analyze how the cornea responds to external factors and investigate how surgical procedures might affect corneal biomechanics.
Our results showed that the numerical model was able to reproduce the experimental measurements with high accuracy. By simulating tissue removal in a full eye numerical model, we could predict fibril reorientation around the affected area. This change increased with larger tissue removal and reduced gradually away from that area.
In conclusion, our method can successfully simulate fibril reorientation, offering new insights into the behavior of the cornea following surgery, injury, or disease. This could have significant implications for the future of ocular treatments and surgeries, ultimately improving patient outcomes.