Multiscale Biomechanical Modeling of the Human Eye

, , ,
,

Keywords: , , , , , , , , , ,

The human eye is a complex organ consisting of multiple different tissues with varying mechanical properties and functionality. Hence, there are many aspects of the biomechanical behavior of the eye that are not understood. In this presentation, we introduce multiscale computational models that can be used to predict the biomechanical behavior of the eye taking into account effects such as elevated intracranial and intraocular pressure, ICP and IOP. Pressure related effects have drawn international attention recently due to reported observations of ocular abnormalities in astronauts. A multiscale modeling approach is essential for analyzing physiological effects of the eye as these occur in anatomical features that span multiple length scales. Our modeling effort involves the use of computational fluid dynamics with fluid structure interactions (CFD-FSI) for predicting flow, pressure and tissue deformation. We use numerical finite element-based structural analysis to predict the deformation of ocular tissues under variations in ICP/IOP loading. We also use lumped-element analysis for predicting cephalad fluid shifts that give rise to changes in pressure on the tissues of the posterior eye. We demonstrate the models via application to idealized eye geometries and discuss model validation using a human cadaveric eye model and head-down bed rest studies.

PDF of paper:


Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Nanotechnology 2013: Electronics, Devices, Fabrication, MEMS, Fluidics and Computational (Volume 2)
Published: May 12, 2013
Pages: 354 - 357
Industry sector: Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: Modeling & Simulation of Microsystems
ISBN: 978-1-4822-0584-8