Soft tissues

Ocular healthcare has become rapidly important during the last decade, spreading due to the increment in safety during the surgical procedures, and the reduction of costs. Concerning the eye research line, the AMB group has addresses the problem of generating a patient-specific numerical model of the human cornea, using its patient-specific geometry and mechanical properties. We propose several methods to reconstruct the patient-specific geometry of the cornea in an automatic fashion, as well as different protocols to determine patient-specific material properties of the corneal tissue in different loading conditions. Furthermore, concern about the underlying biomechanical sources of ectatic diseases, such as Keratoconus, has encouraged the seek for a better definition of the mechanical properties of the ocular tissues. In this vein, non-contact tonometers (NCTs), or air-puff devices, have become a reference in Ophthalmology to perform intrasurgical assessment, or to provide an insight in the mechanical properties of the corneal tissue in pathological and healthy eyes. We carry out a theoretical in-silico study to better understand the physical grounds of NCTs, the role of different ocular features (intraocular pressure, material stiffness, and geometry), and what these clinical tests really characterize. We propose different mathematical techniques to predict patient-specific material properties of the cornea based on clinical biomarkers (maximum displacement in a NCT, intraocular pressure, and corneal geometry), showing the capabilities of numerical methods in helping to assess in clinics. Also, we propose a novel numerical-experimental protocol so as to determine the mechanical properties of the corneal tissue in inflation and bending tests. In this way, we try to avoid an ill-posed material optimization by minimizing both stress states simultaneously.

The main research lines:
  • Corneal Biomechanics: Experimental Tests, Simulation
  • Medical devices: Lents, ICRS
  • Surgery planning
  • Biomechanics of CXL Treatment: ex- and in-vivo
Some recent projects:
  • Corneal tissue response to cross-linking treatment. Application to keratoconus treatment. DPI2014-54981R. Queratocono. 2015-2017