[Biomechanical studies in present-day ophthalmology]

The human eye is a unique physiological system, in which the major part of structural elements obeys the general laws and regularities of biomechanics. The article offers an analytical review of research and development projects in the field of eye biomechanics accomplished in Russia and other countries over the last five years. The below eight directions of biomechanical studies have been found rapidly progressing in ophthalmology: biomechanics of the cornea; biomechanics of the corneoscleral capsule; biomechanics of the crystalline lens; biomechanics of accommodation; biomechanics of glaucoma; biomechanical modeling of retinal, choroidal and vitreous body detachment; biomechanics of eye injury and oculomotor biomechanics. The importance of biomechanical methods for the study of pathogenesis of various eye disease and for their targeted treatment was demonstrated. New ophthalmological tasks were set which may benefit a lot from the biomechanical ideas and methods applied to them.