Abstract
Purpose :
Ocular pathology from soccer ball-induced trauma to the eye has been documented in detail, but the underlying mechanics are not as well-studied. This study utilized a computer simulation to evaluate the biomechanical events following the collision of a soccer ball with the eye to better understand the pathophysiology of ocular and retinal injuries that commonly arise. These injuries and their mechanisms were also compared to those observed in abusive head trauma (AHT).
Methods :
A finite element computer model of the eye containing 140,770 analyzable nodes was simulated and subjected to a collision by a soccer ball simulated with regulation parameters. Resulting changes in intraocular pressure and stress within the ocular tissue and retina were measured.
Results :
Impact of the soccer ball with the eye generated a pressure wave in the vitreous. The pressure wave created pockets of high and negative pressure within the vitreous as it traveled posteriorly. Pressure in the vitreous near the posterior pole flucuated between 39.6 kPa and -30.9 kPa before stabilizing. Stress in ocular tissue was greatest near the point of contact and peaked at 66.6 kPa. Stress in the retina was largely concentrated at the vasculature, especially at distal branches where stress rose to 15.4 kPa. On average, the retinal layer that experienced the most stress was the subretinal layer, but when only considering vascular tissue, the preretinal layer experienced the most.
Conclusions :
High intraocular pressure and stress in ocular tissue near the point of soccer ball impact suggest that anterior segment injuries can be attributed to direct transmission of force from the ball. The pressure wave that follows likely accounts for injuries to the posterior segment as the positive and negative pressures in the vitreous exert compressive and tractional forces on the retina. The linear movement of the pressure wave may cause the localization of retinal lesions to the posterior pole. This differs from the diffuse distrubution of retinal hemorrhage in AHT, likely due to the presense of repetitive angular force in AHT, which is absent in soccer ball truama. These quantitive findings provide a foundation for future comparisons of the efficacy of protective eyewear models for soccer ball trauma.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.