Abstract:Objective To determine the biomechanical behavior of porcine cornea by establishing the relationship between the young’s modulus and intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods Eleven fresh porcine corneal specimens were examined under inflation conditions to determine the constitutive relationships of the material through static loading conditions (pressure range: 25mmH2O~1000mmH2O). The forward deflection of porcine anterior corneal apex was measured by the laser displacement sensor. The pressure-deformation results were analyzed on the basis of shell theory to estimate elastic modulus of the cornea and derive its relationship with IOP. Results The porcine corneas showed a nonlinear corneal forward displacement/IOP and stress/strain relationship with an initial low stiffness stage and a later high stiffness stage. In spite of the nonlinearity between the internal pressure and apex forward deflection, the relationship between the young’s modulus and the IOP was almost linear. Conclusions The inflation configuration can be used to estimate the mechanical property of corneas, and the resulted material parameters could be applied to numerical simulations of refractive surgery procedures, contact lens fitting, artificial cornea design and other applications.