automated compression testing of porcine ocular lens and estimation of the lens modulus

Biomechanical Characterization of Porcine Ocular Lens with Automated Compression

The lens is the transparent and flexible organ found in the eye that allows it to focus on different distances by changing its refractive power. This ability is known as accommodation. The refractive power is altered due to the contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle. When the ciliary muscle contracts, the lens thickens and moves forward, increasing its refractive power1,2. The increase in refractive power allows the lens to focus on nearby objects. As humans age, the lens becomes stiffer and this ability to accommodate is gradually lost; this condition is known as presbyopia. The mechanism of stiffening remains unknown, at least in part due to the difficulties associated with the biomechanical characterization of the lens.
A variety of methods have been employed to estimate lens stiffness and biomechanical properties. These include lens spinning3,4,5, acoustic methods6,7,8, optical methods such as Brillouin microscopy9, indentation10,11, and compression12,13. Compression is the most accessible experimental technique as it can be performed with simple instrumentation (e.g., glass coverslips14,15) or a single motorized stage. We have previously shown how the biomechanical properties of the lens may be rigorously estimated from a compression test16. This process is technically challenging and requires specialized software not readily accessible to lens researchers interested in relative stiffness measurements. Therefore, in the present study, we focus on accessible methods for estimating the elastic modulus of the lens while accounting for lens size. The elastic modulus is an intrinsic material property related to its deformability: a high elastic modulus corresponds to a stiffer material.
The test itself is a parallel plate compression test and can therefore be performed on suitable commercial mechanical testing systems. Here, a custom instrument was constructed comprised of a motor, linear stage, motion controller, load cell, and amplifier. These were controlled using custom software which also recorded time, position, and load at regular intervals. Pig lenses do not accommodate but are easily accessible and inexpensive17. The following method was developed to incrementally compress the eye lens and quantify its elastic modulus. This method can be easily replicated and will be useful in the study of lens stiffness.

Author Spotlight: Advancing Understanding of Age-Related Lens Stiffness Changes 

Automated Compression Testing of the Ocular Lens

We're trying to understand how people lose their near vision with age. We know that this is due, in part, to a change in lens stiffness, but we still don't know why the lens stiffens as we age. Current experimental methods rely on crude methods for loading the lens, such as placing microscope cover slips on the lens.These methods are tedious and lack appropriate controls for the rate of loading. We have determined that the lens shape is the primary driver of presbyopia, and we know that the shape is primarily driven by biomechanical parameters. This protocol offers a completely objective, reproducible method for measuring lens stiffness.Automation allows us to control the rate of loading, which is a key parameter when characterizing a viscoelastic material, like the lens. We now have an objective, repeatable protocol for measuring lens biomechanical properties. This will allow us to rigorously characterize how the lens stiffens with age, as well as how specific proteins modify the lens biomechanical properties.

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Automated Compression Testing of Porcine Ocular Lens and Estimation of the Lens Modulus  

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Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

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