Intraocular Pressure Effects on Collagen Crimp in the Peripapillary Sclera

INTRODUCTION Glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide with neural damage starting within the lamina cribrosa of the optic nerve head (ONH). It is known that elevated intra-ocular pressure (IOP) is the main risk factor for glaucoma, and many studies have shown that this is because glaucoma is related to a biomechanical imbalance in the eye [1]. Studies have also shown that the mechanics of the lamina cribrosa are heavily influenced by the mechanics of the surrounding peripapillary sclera [2]. The main load-bearing tissue in the peripapillary sclera is the collagen, which has a characteristic waviness called crimp shown in Figure 1. This collagen crimp is a large determinant of the mechanical properties of the tissue.