Large Scale Voxel-Based Finite Element Modeling of Normal and Early Glaucomatous Monkey Lamina Cribrosa

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Some of the chief clinical hallmarks of glaucoma are the permanent posterior cupping of the optic nerve head, in the posterior pole of the eye, and the accompanying damage to the lamina cribrosa — the fenestrated structure of connective tissue spanning the scleral canal that provides structural support to the axon bundles passing through it. While elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is associated with this disease, its role remains unclear. It has been hypothesized that IOP-related stress and strain within the laminar connective tissue (LCT) underlie the onset and progression of glaucoma [1] and that they may be used to predict the location of axonal insult and the pattern of damage within the LCT.