Biomechanical Simulation of Human Eye Movement

Understanding the neural control and mechanics of human eye movement has significant implications for treating vision disorders. A computational model incorporating physiological properties and nonlinear kinematics of the oculomotor plant’s geometry and extraocular muscle (EOM) mechanics is desirable for scientific studies and clinical applications. We simulate realistic three-dimensional eye fixation using a new biomechanical simulation framework. We model EOMs as a collection of “strands,” which are modeling elements for musculotendon mechanics based on splines with inertia. Anatomical variations in EOM and globe geometry across individuals can be taken into account. Complicated nonlinear EOM mechanics as well as the recently discovered pulleys are included in the computation. The resulting model generates realistic gaze positions and trajectories given EOM innervations.