Biomechanics of the Posterior Pole During the Remodeling Progression From Normal to Early Experimental Glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. The loss of vision associated with glaucoma is due to damage to the retinal ganglion cell axons, which transmit visual information to the brain. Damage to these axons is believed to occur as the axons pass through the lamina cribrosa (LC), a connective tissue structure in the optic nerve head at the back of the eye. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) has been identified as the main risk factor for the development of the neuropathy, but the mechanism(s) by which a mechanical insult (elevated IOP) is translated into a biological effect (glaucomatous optic neuropathy) is not well understood.© 2009 ASME