An integrated inflation-testing and 3D digital image correlation (3D-DIC) protocol was used to map corneal surface deformation and estimate biomechanical properties in 15 freshly enucleated porcine eyes across three groups: de-epithelialized controls, CXL-treated (standard Dresden protocol), and anterior stromal ablation via femtosecond laser, under IOP elevations up to 40 mmHg.
3D-DIC successfully resolved localized corneal stiffening after CXL and increased compliance after stromal ablation; a regional strain metric derived from membrane-theory post-processing was used to estimate anisotropic hyperelastic parameters via finite element (FE) inverse modeling.
- Ex vivo porcine eyes may not fully replicate human corneal biomechanics or in vivo conditions. - Small cohort (n=15, 5 per group) limits statistical power and generalizability. - IOP was elevated to a supraphysiologic 40 mmHg, which may not reflect clinical loading ranges.
This 3D-DIC inflation-testing framework offers a more physiologically faithful way to quantify treatment-induced corneal biomechanical changes than standard uniaxial testing, potentially informing CXL protocol optimization and refractive surgery planning. Clinical translation to human eyes in vivo will require further validation.
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