Biomechanical changes and effect on different corneal wound healing in rabbits: A comparative study.

Abstract

To investigate the biomechanical changes occurring during the healing process of corneal wounds with different orientations, lengths, and suture styles. This study established wound healing models on rabbit corneas using different directions, lengths, and suture styles. The experiment included five groups with binocular control. Corneal specimens were collected at different time points for uniaxial tensile testing. The resulting tensile stress-strain curves were analyzed to characterize the biomechanical properties of the cornea and obtain low-strain tangent modulus, high-strain tangent modulus and tensile strength. No significant differences in low-strain tangent modulus were observed between the left and right eyes across all groups. For high-strain tangent modulus and tensile strength to each group at different times, a 3-mm wound exhibited a reduction compared to an unwounded eye. The high-strain tangent modulus and tensile strength were higher in the vertical direction compared to horizontal and diagonal orientations. High-density sutures provided significantly higher high-strain tangent modulus and tensile strength compared to normal-density sutures. The high-strain tangent modulus and tensile strength of wounds with a length of 3 mm were greater than those of wounds with a length of 6 mm at all time. Corneal anisotropy results in different biomechanical properties based on the orientation of the incision, which influences the healing process, including the quality, speed, and stability of recovery. This study provides essential insights for corneal surgical strategies and postoperative assessments. Given the small sample size, further studies are needed to validate the generalizability of these results.