Laboratory of
Ocular Biomechanics
University of Pittsburgh. HG1
Latest News
Graduate student, undergraduate student and Research assistant positions available (Details)
October/2024: Image of Distinction
Susannah Waxman's image of pig optic nerve head collagen was selected as an "Image of Distinction" at the Nikon 2024 Photomicrography Competition. [Susannah's Image] The images in the galleries [linked here] are absolutely amazing. It's a great honor to have a spot with them. Congratulations Susannah!
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October/2024: New paper accepted!
"Comparing continuum and direct fiber models of soft tissues: An ocular biomechanics example reveals that continuum models may artificially disrupt the strains at both the tissue and fiber levels" by Acta Biomaterialia. This work was led by Xuehuan He. [Link to preprint in biorXiv]
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September/2024: New paper accepted!
"Proposing a methodology for axon-centric analysis of IOP-induced mechanical insult" by IOVS. This work was led by Bingrui Wang. [Link to preprint in biorXiv]
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Examples of our workClick images for more info.
Why biomechanics of the eye?
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In our daily lives we rarely think of the eye as a biomechanical structure. The eye, however, is a remarkably complex structure with biomechanics involved in many of its functions. For our eyes to be able to track moving objects, for example, requires a delicate balance of the forces exerted by several muscles. Forces are also responsible for deforming the lens and allow focusing. A slight imbalance between the forces and tissue properties may be enough to alter or even preclude vision. These effects may take place quickly or over long periods, even years. Understanding ocular biomechanics is therefore important for preventing and treating vision loss. |
Schematic cross-section through a human eye. Light enters the eye through the cornea, passes through the pupil, lens and vitreous humour and strikes the retina, where it is absorbed. Retinal nerve fibers transmit visual information to the brain. These fibers converge at the optic nerve head region, exit the eye through the scleral canal, and form the optic nerve. The lamina cribrosa is a porous structure spanning the scleral canal. The vitreous chamber is filled with the vitreous humor, which exerts a pressure, the intraocular pressure, on the surface of the retina. [Sigal et al. Biomech Model Mechanobiol, 8(2):85-98, Apr 2009] (adapted from an illustration from NIH) |
Goals
The objective of the Laboratory of Ocular Biomechanics is to study the eye as a biomechanical structure. More specifically our work is aimed at identifying the causes of glaucoma, with the ultimate intention of finding a way to prevent vision loss.