Patient-Specific Finite Element Analysis of Human Corneal Lenticules: An Experimental and Numerical Study

This study combines experimental uniaxial testing and finite element modeling to characterize the mechanical properties of human corneal lenticules extracted from patients undergoing refractive surgery (CLEAR procedure). Samples from five patients (ages 27–30) were analyzed to derive anisotropic hyperelastic parameters describing the anterior stroma. Using patient-specific geometries reconstructed from Pentacam corneal topography, the researchers developed a numerical model accounting for realistic collagen fiber dispersion and non-uniform thickness. The model successfully reproduced experimental force–displacement behavior, providing accurate constitutive parameters (C10 = 24.05 kPa, k1 = 4.98 MPa, k2 = 40.34) that reflect the mechanical response of young human corneas and improve predictive accuracy in refractive surgery simulations.