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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1426060
This article is part of the Research Topic Optobiomechanics of the Eye View all 3 articles

A simple computational model for scleral stiffness assessments via air-puff deformation OCT

Provisionally accepted
Andres De La Hoz Andres De La Hoz 1*Lupe Villegas Lupe Villegas 1Susana Marcos Susana Marcos 2Judith Birkenfeld Judith Birkenfeld 1
  • 1 Daza de Valdés Institute of Optics, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
  • 2 Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The mechanical properties of the sclera are related to its structural function, and changes to these properties are believed to contribute to pathologies such as myopia. Air-puff deformation imaging is a tool that uses an imaging system coupled with an air-puff excitation source to induce and measure deformation in a tissue in vivo. Typically used for the study of the cornea’s mechanical properties and IOP, this tool has been proposed as a method to evaluate scleral stiffness. In this work, we present a computational model of the rabbit eye to assess scleral deformation under air-puff. Parametric studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of material properties, intraocular pressure, and other parameters on the deformation response. Output from the model was also compared to experimental measurements of air-puff deformation in rabbit eyes under varying IOP. Central deformation response was found to be most influenced by material properties of the sclera (at site of air-puff and posterior), thickness, and IOP, whereas deformation profile was most influenced by material properties. Experimental and simulated IOP dependence were found to be similar (RMSE = 0.13mm). Scleral APDI could be a useful tool for quick in vivo assessment of scleral stiffness.

    Keywords: OCT, Sclera, Finite Element, Air-puff, Myopia

    Received: 30 Apr 2024; Accepted: 16 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 De La Hoz, Villegas, Marcos and Birkenfeld. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Andres De La Hoz, Daza de Valdés Institute of Optics, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

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