A Biomechanical Model of the Human Cornea

Abstract

Numerical modeling of human cornea has paramount importance to test in silica surgical procedures and to understand the effect on human eyes of injuries and other external aggressions. To prepare a numerical model that could reproduce correctly corneal behavior, it is necessary firstly to select a type of elastic material and its mechanical model of response. Then a numerical procedure must be implemented; normally FEM is used for calculations. It is then necessary to select geometry, create a mesh and calculate the elastic constants of the model. In the present contribution we create a model based in Mooney Rivlin hyperelasticity, with a mesh consisting in three layers and eleven elements per meridian from the apex to limbus. Two geometries were tested: cornea fixed by limbus and a second one formed by cornea, corneal limbus and part of sclera. We also prepared and tested the numerical procedure for establishing the stress free configuration.