Abstract
This paper proposes a new method for in vivo and almost real-time identification of biomechanical properties of the human cornea based on non-contact tonometer data. Further goal is to demonstrate the method’s functionality based on synthetic data serving as reference. For this purpose, a finite element model of the human eye is constructed to synthetically generate full-field displacements from different data sets with keratoconus-like degradations. Then, a new approach based on the equilibrium gap method combined with a mechanical morphing approach is proposed and used to identify the material parameters from virtual test data sets. In a further step, random absolute noise is added to the virtual test data to investigate the sensitivity of the new approach to noise. As a result, the proposed method shows a relevant accuracy in identifying material parameters based on full-field displacements. At the same time, the method turns out to work almost in real time (order of a few minutes on a regular workstation) and is thus much faster than inverse problems solved by typical forward approaches. On the other hand, the method shows a noticeable sensitivity to rather small noise amplitudes rendering the method not accurate enough for the precise identification of individual parameter values. However, analysis show that the accuracy is sufficient for the identification of property ranges which might be related to diseased tissues. Thereby, the proposed approach turns out promising with view to diagnostic purposes.
Highlights
Eye diseases are harmful for those affected
The authors proposed a method that enables the in vivo identification of structural material properties of the human cornea while being update-free and, enabling a unique parameter identification in almost real time
The method is based on the equilibrium gap method (EGM) and the approach for the identification of nonlinear parameters in Perotti et al (2017), combined with a new approach to construct approximate full-field kinematics from standard non-contact tonometers (NCT) measurements
Summary
Eye diseases are harmful for those affected They impair vision and separate people from their environment and society. A typical eye disease that occurs during puberty is keratoconus (Kennedy et al 1986; Krachmer et al 1984; Raiskup et al 2016). (Krachmer et al 1984; Raiskup et al 2016; Bron 1988). Measuring the biomechanical properties of the cornea in vivo is promising for this purpose. The lack of knowledge about the biomechanical properties and their neglect in the measurement of other quantities, such as the IOP, leads to measurement deviations and incorrect estimations of the IOP (Liu and Roberts 2005)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
