Wang Kehao, Qiu Ziyan, Xie Yiping, Cai Shuo, Zhao Yang, Pierscionek Barbara K, Guo Jiangzhen, Fan Yubo
Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry for Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2023 Jan 20;10(2):142. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10020142.
The young eye has an accommodative ability involving lens shape changes to focus over different distances. This function gradually decreases with age, resulting in presbyopia. Greater insights into the mechanical properties of anterior eye structures can improve understanding of the causes of presbyopia. The present study aims to develop a multi-axis stretching device for evaluating the mechanical properties of the intact eye lens. A stretching device integrating the mechanical stretcher, motor, torque sensor and data transmission mechanism was designed and developed by 3D printing. The mechanical stretcher can convert rotation into radial movement, both at constant speeds, according to the spiral of Archimedes. The loading unit equipped with eight jaws can hold the eye sample tightly. The developed device was validated with a spring of known constant and was further tested with anterior porcine eye segments. The validation experiment using the spring resulted in stiffness values close to the theoretical spring constant. Findings from measurements with porcine eye samples indicated that the measured forces are within the ranges reported in the literature. The developed multi-axis stretching device has good repeatability during experiments with similar settings and can be reliably used for mechanical evaluations of the intact eye lens.
年轻的眼睛具有调节能力，可通过晶状体形状变化来聚焦不同距离的物体。这种功能会随着年龄的增长而逐渐下降，导致老花眼。对眼球前部结构力学特性的深入了解有助于增进对老花眼成因的认识。本研究旨在开发一种多轴拉伸装置，用于评估完整晶状体的力学特性。通过3D打印设计并开发了一种集成了机械拉伸器、电机、扭矩传感器和数据传输机制的拉伸装置。该机械拉伸器能够根据阿基米德螺旋线，以恒定速度将旋转运动转换为径向运动。配备八个夹爪的加载单元可紧密固定眼球样本。所开发的装置通过已知常数的弹簧进行了验证，并进一步用猪眼球前段进行了测试。使用弹簧进行的验证实验得出的刚度值接近理论弹簧常数。对猪眼球样本的测量结果表明，所测力在文献报道的范围内。所开发的多轴拉伸装置在类似设置的实验中具有良好的重复性，可可靠地用于完整晶状体的力学评估。
