Collagen fiber interweaving is central to sclera stiffness.

ABSTRACT: The mechanical properties of the microstructural components of sclera are central to eye physiology and pathology. Because these parameters are extremely difficult to measure directly, they are often estimated using inverse-modeling matching deformations of macroscopic samples measured experimentally. Although studies of sclera microstructure show collagen fiber interweaving, current models do not account for this interweaving or the resulting fiber-fiber interactions, which might affect parameter estimates. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that constitutive parameters estimated using inverse modeling differ if models account for fiber interweaving and interactions. We developed models with non-interweaving or interweaving fibers over a wide range of volume fractions (36-91%). For each

SUBMITTER: Wang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7425206 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature