Optic nerve head biomechanics

The mechanical properties of biological tissues have been studied from the nanoscale to macroscale dimensions and there is increasing evidence of its fundamental role in ophthalmology. Biomechanical eye models suggest that neural damage could be related to the variation of the optic nerve’s tissue material properties.

High-quality optical coherence tomography (OCT) images have been used to assess in-vivo architecture and biomechanical characteristics of the lamina cribrosa in the human eye. Nonetheless, the optic nerve head (ONH) is constantly exposed to pulsatile changes secondary to the cardiac cycle and intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuation. My research focuses on exploring the applications of high-resolution OCT in finding the clinical relationship between these biomechanical changes and their potential clinical applications.