Multiscale finite element modeling of the lamina cribrosa microarchitecture in the eye

In this paper, we describe a new method for constructing macro-scale models of the posterior pole of the eye to investigate the role of intraocular pressure in the development and progression of glaucoma. We also describe a method and present results from micro-scale finite element models of the lamina cribrosa microarchitecture that are derived from parent macro-scale continuum models using a novel multiscale substructuring approach. The laminar micro-scale models capture the biomechanical behavior of the laminar trabeculae in a way that cannot be estimated using macro-scale techniques, and predict much higher stresses and strains than those calculated within macro-scale models of the coincident region in the same eye.