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Glaucoma and Computational Multi-Scale Modeling of the Human Eye
==Rafael Grytz, Ph.D.== ===October 14, 2010=== Glaucoma and Computational Multi-Scale Modeling of the Human Eye Vision is the primary sense through which we experience the world, but our vision is in danger. Glaucoma called the "Sneak Thief of Sight" is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. About 50 million people worldwide are affected by glaucoma, of which every tenth is already blind. With an aging population, the problem of glaucoma in industrialized countries will likely worsen. The greatest danger of glaucoma is that the disease is painless and without obvious symptoms until significant damage has occurred. The main risk factor for the development of glaucoma is an abnormally elevated pressure of the fluid inside the eye. However, the exact mechanism by which the elevated pressure translates into loss of vision is still unknown. Biomechanical phenomena occurring at different length scales are involved in the development and progression of the disease. In this work three computational multi-scale methods were developed to investigate biomechanical structures of the human eye at different length scales: a micro-structure oriented constitutive formulation, a computational remodeling approach and a computational coupled two-scale analysis. These methods revealed a more detailed picture of the micro-architecture of the human eye tissues than it was accessible with classical methods of medical research. The numerical predictions were in very good agreement with experimental measurements. The results of the computational simulations also indicated that abnormally elevated fluid pressure levels significantly shear the micro-structure of the eye. The mechanical shearing of the micro-structure might directly or indirectly damage the optic nerve fibers, and cause loss of vision. The application of multi-scale computational simulations to investigate the cause of glaucoma opens a new perspective in understanding the disease, and it also presents a promising interdisciplinary approach for medical research.
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