Abstract
Purpose :
Continuous growth of the adult lens is associated with the age of onset of both presbyopia and age-related cataract. However, the biomechanical aspects of adult lens growth have not been studied. In this study, the respective contributions of volumetric growth, capsule area dilation, and zonular tension are evaluated.
Methods :
A computational model of adult human lens growth and stretching was constructed in COMSOL Multiphysics. The lens fiber cells were treated as an incompressible hydrogel which was subjected to swelling encapsulated by a membrane. The rate of swelling was linked to the strains in the lens capsule arising from equatorial stretching to simulate the strain-induced epithelial proliferation and resulting volumetric growth.
Results :
Growth-induced strains in the lens capsule are highly anisotropic near the equator (Fig. 1A). These strains become more anisotropic still when zonular tension is applied (Fig. 1B).
Conclusions :
Zonular tension drives changes in both epithelial cell proliferation and lens capsule directionality. Combined, these findings suggest that capsule strain directionality may significantly influence epithelial cell behavior. This also suggests a causal relationship between accommodation and morphogenesis.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.