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A unique combination of mechanical strength, stiffness, and optical transparency enables the cornea to serve as both a protective barrier and the primary refractive component of the eye. These properties are derived from the fibrous microstructure of the corneal stroma, which in humans constitutes 90% of the cornea thickness. The stroma is formed by approximately 200 lamellar sheets of collagen fibrils embedded in a hydrated matrix of proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and keratocytes

The project seeks to develop experiments to characterize the collagen structure and mechanical properties of the cornea.  These will be used to develop constitutive models for the anisotropic nonlinear viscoelastic behavior that incorporate the details of the collagen structure.  The goal of the project is to investigate the relationship between the collagen structure, mechanical properties, and physiological biomechanical function of the cornea and its alteration with the development of diseases like keratoconus. 

Students

Kimberly Ziegler

Collaborators
Craig Boote, PhD

    Lecturer, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University