Corneal Biomechanical Properties in Varying Severities of Myopia

Purpose: To investigate corneal biomechanical response parameters in varying degrees of myopia and their correlation with corneal geometrical parameters and axial length. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 172 eyes of 172 subjects, the severity degree of myopia was categorized into mild, moderate, severe, and extreme myopia. Cycloplegic refraction, corneal tomography using Pentacam HR, corneal biomechanical assessment using Corvis ST and Ocular Response Analyser (ORA), and ocular biometry using IOLMaster 700 were performed for all subjects. A general linear model was used to compare biomechanical parameters in various degrees of myopia, while central corneal thickness (CCT) and biomechanically corrected intraocular pressure (bIOP) were considered as covariates. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the relationship between corneal biomechanical parameters with spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AXL), bIOP, mean keratometry (Mean KR), and CCT. Results: Corneal biomechanical parameters assessed by Corvis ST that showed significant differences among the groups were second applanation length (AL2, p = 0.035), highest concavity radius (HCR, p < 0.001), deformation amplitude (DA, p < 0.001), peak distance (PD, p = 0.022), integrated inverse radius (IR, p < 0.001) and DA ratio (DAR, p = 0.004), while there were no significant differences in the means of pressure-derived parameters of ORA between groups. Multiple regression analysis showed all parameters of Corvis ST have significant relationships with level of myopia (SE, AXL, Mean KR), except AL1 and AL2. Significant biomechanical parameters showed progressive reduction in corneal stiffness with increasing myopia (either with greater negative SE or greater AXL), independent of IOP and CCT. Also, corneal hysteresis (CH) or ability to dissipate energy from the ORA decreased with increasing level of myopia. Conclusions: Dynamic corneal response assessed by Corvis ST shows evidence of biomechanical changes consistent with decreasing stiffness with increasing levels of myopia in multiple parameters. The strongest correlations were with highest concavity parameters where the sclera influence is maximal. © Copyright © 2021 Sedaghat, Momeni-Moghaddam, Azimi, Fakhimi, Ziaei, Danesh, Roberts, Monfared and Jamali

Sensing, measuring and modelling the mechanical properties of sandstone

We present a hybrid framework for simulating the strength and dilation characteristics of sandstone. Where possible, the grain-scale properties of sandstone are evaluated experimentally in detail. Also, using photo-stress analysis, we sense the deviator stress (/strain) distribution at the microscale and its components along the orthogonal directions on the surface of a V-notch sandstone sample under mechanical loading. Based on this measurement and applying a grain-scale model, the optical anisotropy index K0 is inferred at the grain scale. This correlated well with the grain contact stiffness ratio K evaluated using ultrasound sensors independently. Thereafter, in addition to other experimentally characterised structural and grain-scale properties of sandstone, K is fed as an input into the discrete element modelling of fracture strength and dilation of the sandstone samples. Physical bulk scale experiments are also conducted to evaluate the load-displacement relation, dilation and bulk fracture strength characteristics of sandstone samples under compression and shear. A good level of agreement is obtained between the results of the simulations and experiments. The current generic framework could be applied to understand the internal and bulk mechanical properties of such complex opaque and heterogeneous materials more realistically in future