Anisotropic Alteration of Scleral Birefringence to Uniaxial Mechanical Strain

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between scleral mechanical properties, its birefringence, and the anisotropy of birefringence alteration in respect of the direction of the strain by using PS-OCT.

Methods

The scleral birefringence of thirty-nine porcine eyes was measured with a prototype PS-OCT. A rectangle strip of sclera with a width of 4 mm was dissected at the temporal region 5 mm apart from the optic nerve head. The strain and force were measured with a uniaxial tension tester as the sample was stretched with a speed of 1.8 mm/min after preconditioning. The birefringence of the sample was measured by PS-OCT at the center of the sample before applying, denoted as inherent birefringence, and after applying stretching of 6.5% strain. The birefringence alteration was obtained by these two measurements and correlations between birefringence and elastic parameters, tangent modulus, and structural stiffness were examined. Twenty and 19 porcine eyes were stretched in meridional or equatorial directions, respectively.

Results

A moderate positive correlation was found between the inherent birefringence and the structural stiffness. A moderate positive correlation was also found between the inherent birefringence and the tangent modulus. The birefringence increased by strains. Marginal significance was found in the birefringence alteration between meridional and equatorial strains, where the mean birefringence elevation by meridional strain was higher than that by equatorial strain.

Conclusions

The birefringence was found to be altered by applying strain and also be related with inherent birefringence. This implies the birefringence of the sclera of the in vivo eye also could be affected by its mechanical property.     

Material properties and effect of preconditioning of human sclera,optic nerve,and optic nerve sheath

The optic nerve (ON) is a recently recognized tractional load on the eye during larger horizontal eye rotations. In order to understand the mechanical behavior of the eye during adduction, it is necessary to characterize material properties of the sclera, ON, and in particular its sheath. We performed tensile loading of specimens taken from fresh postmortem human eyes to characterize the range of variation in their biomechanical properties and determine the effect of preconditioning. We fitted reduced polynomial hyperelastic models to represent the nonlinear tensile behavior of the anterior, equatorial, posterior, and peripapillary sclera, as well as the ON and its sheath. For comparison, we analyzed tangent moduli in low and high strain regions to represent stiffness. Scleral stiffness generally decreased from anterior to posterior ocular regions. The ON had the lowest tangent modulus, but was surrounded by a much stiffer sheath. The low-strain hyperelastic behaviors of adjacent anatomical regions of the ON, ON sheath, and posterior sclera were similar as appropriate to avoid discontinuities at their boundaries. Regional stiffnesses within individual eyes were moderately correlated, implying that mechanical properties in one region of an eye do not reliably reflect properties of another region of that eye, and that potentially pathological combinations could occur in an eye if regional properties are discrepant. Preconditioning modestly stiffened ocular tissues, except peripapillary sclera that softened. The nonlinear mechanical behavior of posterior ocular tissues permits their stresses to match closely at low strains, although progressively increasing strain causes particularly great stress in the peripapillary region.

     

Biaxial mechanical testing of human sclera

The biomechanical environment of the optic nerve head (ONH), of interest in glaucoma, is strongly affected by the biomechanical properties of sclera. However, there is a paucity of information about the variation of scleral mechanical properties within eyes and between individuals. We thus used biaxial testing to measure scleral stiffness in human eyes. Ten eyes from 5 human donors (age 55.4±3.5 years; mean±SD) were obtained within 24 h of death. Square scleral samples (6 mm on a side) were cut from each ocular quadrant 3–9 mm from the ONH centre and were mechanically tested using a biaxial extensional tissue tester (BioTester 5000, CellScale Biomaterials Testing, Waterloo). Stress–strain data in the latitudinal (toward the poles) and longitudinal (circumferential) directions, here referred to as directions 1 and 2, were fit to the four-parameter Fung constitutive equation W=c(e^Q?1), where $Q=c_1{E}_{11}^2+c_2{E}_{22}^2+2c_3{E}_{11}{E}_{22}$ and W, c’s and E_ij are the strain energy function, material parameters and Green strains, respectively. Fitted material parameters were compared between samples. The parameter c₃ ranged from 10^?7 to 10^?8, but did not contribute significantly to the accuracy of the fitting and was thus fixed at 10^?7. The products c?c₁ and c?c₂, measures of stiffness in the 1 and 2 directions, were 2.9±2.0 and 2.8±1.9 MPa, respectively, and were not significantly different (two-sided t-test; p=0.795). The level of anisotropy (ratio of stiffness in orthogonal directions) was 1.065±0.33. No statistically significant correlations between sample thickness and stiffness were found (correlation coefficients=?0.026 and ?0.058 in directions 1 and 2, respectively). Human sclera showed heterogeneous, near-isotropic, nonlinear mechanical properties over the scale of our samples.     

Dynamic and quasi-static compressive response of porcine muscle

Research and application activities in impact biomechanics require dynamic response of biological tissues under high-rate loading. However, experimental difficulties have limited the characterization of soft tissues under such loading conditions. In this paper, we identify these technical challenges in dynamic compression experiments using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) and present the remedies to overcome them. In order to subject the specimens to valid dynamic testing conditions, in addition to developing new pulse-shaping techniques and incorporating highly sensitive load-measuring transducers, annular thin-disc specimens radically different from regular solid specimens were used to minimize radial inertia effects that may overshadow the intrinsic material properties. By using this modified SHPB, the compressive stress-strain behavior of soft porcine muscle tissue was obtained along and perpendicular to the muscle fiber direction from quasi-static to dynamic strain rates. The results show that the non-linear compressive stress-strain responses in both directions are strongly strain-rate sensitive.     

Biaxial mechanical testing of posterior sclera using high-resolution ultrasound speckle tracking for strain measurements

This study aimed to characterize the mechanical responses of the sclera, the white outer coat of the eye, under equal-biaxial loading with unrestricted shear. An ultrasound speckle tracking technique was used to measure tissue deformation through sample thickness, expanding the capabilities of surface strain techniques. Eight porcine scleral samples were tested within 72 h postmortem  . High resolution ultrasound scans of scleral cross-sections along the two loading axes were acquired at 25 consecutive biaxial load levels. An additional repeat of the biaxial loading cycle was performed to measure a third normal strain emulating a strain gage rosette for calculating the in-plane shear. The repeatability of the strain measurements during identical biaxial ramps was evaluated. A correlation-based ultrasound speckle tracking algorithm was used to compute the displacement field and determine the distributive strains in the sample cross-sections. A Fung type constitutive model including a shear term was used to determine the material constants of each individual specimen by fitting the model parameters to the experimental stress–strain data. A non-linear stress–strain response was observed in all samples. The meridian direction had significantly larger strains than that of the circumferential direction during equal-biaxial loadings (P's<0.05$P\text{'}s<0.05$). The stiffness along the two directions was also significantly different (P=0.02) but highly correlated (R²=0.8). These results showed that the mechanical properties of the porcine sclera were nonlinear and anisotropic under biaxial loading. This work has also demonstrated the feasibility of using ultrasound speckle tracking for strain measurements during mechanical testing.     

Opto-mechanical characterization of sclera by polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) is an interferometric technique sensitive to birefringence. Since mechanical loading alters the orientation of birefringent collagen fibrils, we asked if PSOCT can be used to measure local mechanical properties of sclera.Infrared (1300 nm) PSOCT was performed during uniaxial tensile loading of fresh scleral specimens of rabbits, cows, and humans from limbal, equatorial, and peripapillary regions. Specimens from 8 human eyes were obtained. Specimens were stretched to failure at 0.01 mm/s constant rate under physiological conditions of temperature and humidity while birefringence was computed every 117 ms from cross-sectional PSOCT. Birefringence modulus (BM) was defined as the rate of birefringence change with strain, and tensile modulus (TM) as the rate of stress change between 0 and 9% strain.In cow and rabbit, BM and TM were positively correlated with slopes of 0.17 and 0.10 GPa, and with correlation coefficients 0.63 and 0.64 (P < 0.05), respectively, following stress-optic coefficients 4.69, and 4.20 GPa⁻¹. In human sclera, BM and TM were also positively correlated with slopes of 0.24 GPa for the limbal, 0.26 GPa for the equatorial, and 0.31 GPa for the peripapillary regions. Pearson correlation coefficients were significant at 0.51, 0.58, and 0.69 for each region, respectively (<0.001). Mean BM decreased proportionately to TM from the limbal to equatorial to peripapillary regions, as stress-optic coefficients were estimated as 2.19, 2.42, and 4.59 GPa⁻¹, respectively.Since birefringence and tensile elastic moduli correlate differently in cow, rabbit, and various regions of human sclera, it might be possible to mechanically characterize the sclera in vivo using PSOCT.     

Material properties of the cornea and sclera: a modelling approach to test experimental analysis

Material properties of cornea and sclera are important for maintaining the shape of the eye and the requisite surface curvatures for optics. They also need to withstand the forces of external and internal musculature and fluctuations in intraocular pressure (IOP). These properties are difficult to measure and variable results have been reported. A previously published experimental procedure, from which the material properties of the eyeball coats were obtained, has been modelled in this paper using Finite Element Analysis, in order to test the accuracy of the experiment. Material parameters were calculated from the model and the resulting relationships between stress and strain for the cornea and sclera compared to their experimentally obtained counterparts. The comparison between model and experiment was close for the sclera but more varied for the cornea. The pressure vessel model can be applied for measuring the material properties of the sclera but is less accurate for the cornea.     

Effect of freezing and thawing on the biomechanical characteristics of porcine ocular tissues

PurposeTo evaluate the effect of freezing and thawing on the biomechanical properties of ex-vivo porcine ocular tissue.MethodsThirty-six porcine eyes (18 pairs) were obtained fresh from a local abattoir and split into two groups of nine pairs to study the effect of storage at −20 °C and −80 °C. A randomly-selected eye from each pair (Control Group, CG) was tested fresh while the fellow eyes were frozen for 14 days, either at −20 °C and −80 °C (Frozen Group, FG) before thawing and testing. Seventy-two strips were extracted from the corneas and scleras of eye globes and subjected to uniaxial tension tests under loads up to 1.0 N. Following five preconditioning cycles, the load and elongation data obtained experimentally were analysed to derive the tissue’s stress-strain and tangent modulus-strain behaviour.ResultsCorneal tissue subjected to freezing at −20 °C exhibited significant increases in tangent modulus (mechanical stiffness) by 13 ± 17% (p = 0.003) at 1% strain and 14 ± 12% (p < 0.001) at 2% strain. In contrast, the increases in corneal stiffness at −80 °C were insignificant (6 ± 14%, p = 0.099 at 1% strain, 6 ± 15%, p = 0.091 at 2% strain). The corresponding increases in tangent modulus in the sclera were all insignificant (for −20 °C: 4 ± 14%, p = 0.265 at 1% strain, 3 ± 9%, p = 0.186 at 2% strain; for −80 °C: 3 ± 18%, p = 0.537 at 1% strain and 3 ± 18%, p = 0.491 at 2% strain).ConclusionsThe study provided evidence that freezing and thawing led to insignificant changes in ocular tissue stiffness except in corneal tissue that was frozen at −20 °C.     

Quantifying dynamic mechanical properties of human placenta tissue using optimization techniques with specimen-specific finite-element models

Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fetal deaths resulting from maternal trauma in the United States, and placental abruption is the most common cause of these deaths. To minimize this injury, new assessment tools, such as crash-test dummies and computational models of pregnant women, are needed to evaluate vehicle restraint systems with respect to reducing the risk of placental abruption. Developing these models requires accurate material properties for tissues in the pregnant abdomen under dynamic loading conditions that can occur in crashes. A method has been developed for determining dynamic material properties of human soft tissues that combines results from uniaxial tensile tests, specimen-specific finite-element models based on laser scans that accurately capture non-uniform tissue-specimen geometry, and optimization techniques. The current study applies this method to characterizing material properties of placental tissue. For 21 placenta specimens tested at a strain rate of 12/s, the mean failure strain is 0.472±0.097 and the mean failure stress is 34.80±12.62 kPa. A first-order Ogden material model with ground-state shear modulus (μ) of 23.97±5.52 kPa and exponent (α₁) of 3.66±1.90 best fits the test results. The new method provides a nearly 40% error reduction (p<0.001) compared to traditional curve-fitting methods by considering detailed specimen geometry, loading conditions, and dynamic effects from high-speed loading. The proposed method can be applied to determine mechanical properties of other soft biological tissues.     

Dynamic material properties of the pregnant human uterus

Given that automobile crashes are the largest single cause of death for pregnant females, scientists are developing advanced computer models of pregnant occupants. The purpose of this study is to quantify the dynamic material properties of the human uterus in order to increase the biofidelity of these models. A total of 19 dynamic tension tests were performed on pregnant human uterus tissues taken from six separate donors. The tissues were collected during full term Cesarean style deliveries and tested within 36 h of surgery. The tissues were processed into uniform coupon sections and tested at 1.5 strains/s using linear motors. Local stress and strain were determined from load data and optical markers using high speed video. The experiments resulted in a non-linear stress versus strain curves with an overall average peak failure true strain of 0.32±0.112 and a corresponding peak failure true stress of 656.3±483.9 kPa. These are the first data available for the dynamic response of pregnant human uterus tissues, and it is anticipated they will increase the accuracy of future pregnant female computational models.     

Assessment of trans‐scleral iontophoresis delivery of lutein to the human retina

The efficacy of novel scleral iontophoresis device for in situ delivery of lutein to the human retina was assessed by Resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) technique. Eight human donor eye globes were used for experiments, 6 of which underwent trans‐scleral iontophoresis delivery of lutein and the other 2 were used as controls. The scleral iontophoresis applicator was filled with liposome‐enriched 0.1% lutein solution and the generator's current was set at 2.5 mA and delivered for 4 min. A custom RRS setup was used for detecting lutein in the inner sclera, choroid, retinal periphery and macula of treated samples and controls. Forty minutes after iontophoresis, the inner sclera, choroid and retinal periphery were greatly enriched with lutein (P < .05); no lutein was found in the same ocular regions of non‐treated samples. In the same period, the average concentration of lutein in the macula (4.8 ± 1.7 ng/mm²) of treated samples was 1.3 times greater than controls (3.7 ± 1.0 ng/mm²; P = .4). Scleral iontophoresis was shown to be effective in delivering lutein to the human retina. Future studies will aim at assessing if this therapeutic strategy is valuable to enrich the macular pigment in human subjects.      

Bullwhip neurons in the retina regulate the size and shape of the eye

Bullwhip and mini-bullwhip cells are unconventional types of retinal neurons that utilize the neuropeptides glucagon, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) and substance P. These cells have been implicated in regulating the proliferation of neural progenitors in the circumferential marginal zone (CMZ) of the chicken retina. The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of the bullwhip cells in regulating ocular size and shape. We found that intravitreal delivery of colchicine at postnatal day 7 destroys the vast majority (approximately 98%) of the bullwhip and mini-bullwhip cells and their peptidergic terminals that are concentrated in the CMZ near the equator of the eye. Interestingly, colchicine-treatment resulted in excessive ocular growth that involved the expansion of equatorial diameter, but not axial length. Intraocular injections of glucagon completely prevented the equatorial expansion that occurs with colchicine-treatment. In eyes with undamaged retinas, exogenous glucagon suppressed equatorial eye growth, whereas glucagon receptor antagonists caused excessive equatorial growth. Furthermore, visual stimuli that increase or decrease rates of ocular growth caused a down- or up-regulation, respectively, of the immediate early gene Egr1 in the bullwhip cells; indicating that the activity of the bullwhip cells is regulated by growth-guiding visual cues. We found that the glucagon receptor was expressed by cells in the fibrous and cartilaginous sclera in equatorial regions of the eye. Taken together, these findings suggest that glucagon peptide released from the terminals of the bullwhip and mini-bullwhip cells regulates the growth of the equatorial sclera in a vision-dependent manner. Although the bullwhip and mini-bullwhip cells are not abundant, less than 1000 cells per retina, their influence on the development of the eye is substantial and includes vision-guided ocular growth.     

Achilles tendon stress is more sensitive to subject-specific geometry than subject-specific material properties: A finite element analysis

This study used subject-specific measures of three-dimensional (3D) free Achilles tendon geometry in conjunction with a finite element method to investigate the effect of variation in subject-specific geometry and subject-specific material properties on tendon stress during submaximal isometric loading. Achilles tendons of eight participants (Aged 25–35 years) were scanned with freehand 3D ultrasound at rest and during a 70% maximum voluntary isometric contraction. Ultrasound images were segmented, volume rendered and transformed into subject-specific 3D finite element meshes. The mean (±SD) lengths, volumes and cross-sectional areas of the tendons at rest were 62 ± 13 mm, 3617 ± 984 mm³ and 58 ± 11 mm² respectively. The measured tendon strain at 70% MVIC was 5.9 ± 1.3%. Subject-specific material properties were obtained using an optimisation approach that minimised the difference between measured and modelled longitudinal free tendon strain. Generic geometry was represented by the average mesh and generic material properties were taken from the literature. Local stresses were subsequently computed for combinations of subject-specific and generic geometry and material properties. For a given geometry, changing from generic to subject-specific material properties had little effect on the stress distribution in the tendon. In contrast, changing from generic to subject-specific geometry had a 26-fold greater effect on tendon stress distribution. Overall, these findings indicate that the stress distribution experienced by the living free Achilles tendon of a young and healthy population during voluntary loading are more sensitive to variation in tendon geometry than variation in tendon material properties.     

Measurement of the circumferential mechanical properties of the umbilical vein: experimental and numerical analyses

Coronary artery disease is responsible for almost 30% of all deaths worldwide. The saphenous vein and umbilical vein (UV) are the most common veins using for treatment as a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). The mechanical properties of UV belonging to its long-term patency for CABG are very important. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the linear elastic and nonlinear hyperelastic mechanical properties of the UV. In this study, three stress definitions (second Piola–Kichhoff stress, engineering stress and true stress) and four strain definitions (Almansi–Hamel strain, Green–St Venant strain, engineering strain and true strain) are used to determine the elastic modulus, maximum stress and strain of eight human UVs under circumferential loading. The nonlinear mechanical behaviour of the UV is computationally investigated using Mooney–Rivlin hyperelastic model. A numerical finite element analysis is also carried out to simulate the constitutive modelling versus its numerical results. The results show that the Almansi–Hamel strain definition overestimates the elastic modulus while Green–St Venant strain definition underestimates the elastic modulus at different stress definitions. The true stress–true strain definition, which gives more accurate measurements of the tissue's response using the instantaneous values, reveals the Young's modulus and maximum stress of 2.18 and 6.01 MPa, respectively. The Mooney–Rivlin material model is well represented by the nonlinear mechanical behaviour of the UV. The findings of this study could have implications not only for understanding the extension and rupture mechanism of UV but also for interventions and surgeries, including balloon angioplasty, bypass and stenting.     

紫外光-核黄素交联法对豚鼠巩膜生物力学特性的影响

目的探索紫外光-核黄素交联法对巩膜织张力和强度的影响。方法交联组和对照组皆选右眼为实验眼,交联组采用波长为（370±5）nm、辐射强度定为3.0 mW/cm2的紫外线和0.1%核黄素为光敏剂对豚鼠赤道部巩膜面进行胶原交联,对照组不进行交联处理。术后一个月取交联组交联区巩膜条带和对照组相应区域的巩膜条带,进行生物力学测试,并对眼球各组织进行HE染色光镜和透射电镜检测。结果交联组巩膜的生物力学特性增强,赤道部交联组巩膜试件断裂时的极限应力增加了147%,弹性模量显著增加了193%,极限应变降低了21.9%;后极部交联组巩膜试件断裂时的极限应力增加了108%,弹性模量显著增加了191%,极限应变降低了40.42%。HE染色光镜检查结果显示形态学无病理改变,透射电镜结果显示交联组交联区的巩膜成纤维细胞增生活跃。结论紫外光—核黄素交联法可以有效地提高巩膜的生物力学特性,增强巩膜组织的张力和强度,有望作为治疗高度病理性近视的一种方法。     

A forward incremental prestressing method with application to inverse parameter estimations and eye-specific simulations of posterior scleral shells

Numerical simulations or inverse numerical analyses of individual eyes or eye segments are often based on an eye-specific geometry obtained from in vivo medical images such as computed tomography (CT) scans or from in vitro 3D digitiser scans. These eye-specific geometries are usually measured while the eye is subjected to internal pressure. Due to the nonlinear stiffening of the collagen fibril network in the eye, numerical incorporation of the pre-existing stress/strain state may be essential for realistic eye-specific computational simulations. Existing prestressing methods either compute accurate predictions of the prestressed state or guarantee a unique solution. In this contribution, a forward incremental prestressing method is presented which unifies the advantages of the existing approaches by providing accurate and unique predictions of the pre-existing stress/strain state at the true measured geometry. The impact of prestressing is investigated on (i) the inverse constitutive parameter identification of a synthetic sclera inflation test and (ii) an eye-specific simulation that estimates the realistic mechanical response of a pre-loaded posterior monkey scleral shell. Evaluation of the pre-existing stress/strain state in the inverse analysis had a significant impact on the reproducibility of the constitutive parameters but may be estimated based on an approximative approach. The eye-specific simulation of one monkey eye shows that prestressing is required for accurate displacement and stress/strain predictions. The numerical results revealed an increasing error in displacement, strain and stress predictions with increasing pre-existing pressure load when the pre-stress/strain state is disregarded. Disregarding the prestress may lead to a significant underestimation of the strain/stress environment in the sclera and overestimation in the lamina cribrosa.     

Multiaxial mechanical behavior of the porcine anterior lens capsule

The biomechanics of the lens capsule of the eye is important both in physiologic processes such as accommodation and clinical treatments such as cataract surgery. Although the lens capsule experiences multiaxial stresses in vivo, there have been no measurements of its multiaxial properties or possible regional heterogeneities. Rather all prior mechanical data have come from 1-D pressure–volume or uniaxial force-length tests. Here, we report a new experimental approach to study in situ the regional, multiaxial mechanical behavior of the lens capsule. Moreover, we report multiaxial data suggesting that the porcine anterior lens capsule exhibits a typical nonlinear pseudoelastic behavior over finite strains, that the in situ state is pre-stressed multiaxially, and that the meridional and circumferential directions are principal directions of strain, which is nearly equibiaxial at the pole but less so towards the equator. Such data are fundamental to much needed constitutive formulations.     

Muscle material properties in passive and active stroke-impaired muscle

Stroke survivors routinely experience long-term motor and sensory impairments. In parallel with neurological changes, material properties of muscles in the impaired limbs, such as muscle stiffness, may also change progressively. However, these stiffness measures are routinely derived from individual joint stiffness, representing whole muscle groups. Here, we use shear wave (SW) ultrasound elastography to measure SW velocity, as a surrogate measure of stiffness, to quantify material properties in individual muscles. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to compare muscle material properties of the bicep brachii in stroke survivors and in age-matched control subjects by measuring SW velocity at rest and different voluntary activation levels. Our main findings show that at rest, the SW velocity was on average 41% greater in the paretic muscle compared the contralateral non-paretic muscle. The mean passive SW velocity across all subjects were 2.34 ± 0.41 m/s for the non-paretic side, 3.30 ± 1.20 m/s for the paretic side, and 2.24 ± 0.18 for controls. SW velocity was significantly different in muscles of the paretic and non-paretic side (p < 0.001), but not between muscles of the non-paretic and controls (p = 0.47). As voluntary activation increased, SW velocity increased non-linearly, with an average power fit of r² = 0.83 ± 0.09 for the non-paretic side, r² = 0.61 ± 0.24 for the paretic side, and r² = 0.24 ± 0.15 for the healthy age-matched controls. In active muscle (10, 25, 50, 75, 100% maximum voluntary contraction), there was no significant difference in SW velocity between the non-paretic, paretic, and control muscles.These findings suggest that stroke-impaired muscles have potentially altered muscle material properties, specifically stiffness, and that passive and active stiffness may contribute differently to total muscle stiffness.     

Ultrasonic measurement of scleral cross-sectional strains during elevations of intraocular pressure: method validation and initial results in posterior porcine sclera

Background. Scleral biomechanical properties may be important in the pathogenesis and progression of glaucoma. The goal of this study is to develop and validate an ultrasound method for measuring cross-sectional distributive strains in the sclera during elevations of intraocular pressure (IOP). Method of Approach. Porcine globes (n?=?5) were tested within 24 hs postmortem. The posterior scleral shells were dissected and mounted onto a custom-built pressurization chamber. A high-frequency (55-MHz) ultrasound system (Vevo660, VisualSonics Inc., Toronto) was employed to acquire the radio frequency data during scans of the posterior pole along both circumferential and meridian directions. The IOP was gradually increased from 5 to 45?mmHg. The displacement fields were obtained from correlation-based ultrasound speckle tracking. A least-square strain estimator was used to calculate the strains in both axial and lateral directions. Experimental validation was performed by comparing tissue displacements calculated from ultrasound speckle tracking with those induced by an actuator. Theoretical analysis and simulation experiments were performed to optimize the ultrasound speckle tracking method and evaluate the accuracy and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in strain estimation. Results. Porcine sclera exhibited significantly larger axial strains (e.g., -5.1?±?1.5% at 45?mmHg, meridian direction) than lateral strains (e.g., 2.2?±?0.7% at 45?mmHg, meridian direction) during IOP elevations (P's?相似文献