Biomechanics of the retina: experimental and clinical perspectives

The retina is an essential component of the visual system, a delicate neural tissue that converts light signals into electrical impulses and links the visual environment to the brain. Its structure and functional performance depend on multiple layers of interconnected cells and extracellular matrix components that together provide mechanical support. The retina's biomechanical properties, including elasticity, stiffness, and tensile strength, govern how it deforms and recovers under physiological load and mechanical stress. Quantifying these properties is essential for understanding how the retina resists tractional and compressive forces that can lead to injury or disease. Techniques including tensile testing, atomic force microscopy, optical coherence elastography, Brillouin microscopy, and computational modeling have advanced our understanding of retinal stiffness and revealed altered tissue mechanics in ocular disease. This review describes current knowledge of retinal structure and material behavior, experimental and computational approaches used to assess mechanical properties, and how biomechanical changes contribute to the development and progression of retinal disorders.