Evaluation of in vivo subject-specific mechanical behavior of lamina cribrosa in subjects with and without glaucoma

Subject-specific finite element models were developed for 20 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 20 control eyes using swept-source OCT. The spatial distribution of tensile and compressive strains was computed across the lamina cribrosa. POAG subjects exhibited significantly higher compressive (-0.84 ± 0.15 vs -0.54 ± 0.16) and tensile strains (0.72 ± 0.12 vs 0.54 ± 0.08, p-value < 0.0001). Localized strains within the temporal and superior regions were identified as primary mechanical features distinguishing both among POAG subgroups and between POAG and control subjects. Significant correlation was found between features of strain distribution and visual field mean deviation (p-value < 0.05), defining POAG subgroups that may reflect different POAG mechanical phenotypes.