The pathogenesis of retinal damage in blunt eye trauma: Finite element modeling

The hypothesis that blunt trauma shockwave propagation may cause macular and peripheral retinal lesions, regardless of the presence of vitreous, was investigated. The study was prompted by the observation of macular hole after an inadvertent BB shot in a previously vitrectomized eye. Numeric simulations were performed with explicit finite element code. Simple constitutive modeling for soft tissues was used, and model parameters were calibrated on available experimental data by means of a reverse-engineering approach. It was demonstrated that: vitreous traction may not be responsible for blunt trauma–associated retinal lesions and can actually damp shockwaves significantly; negative pressures associated with multiaxial strain and high strain rates can tear and detach the retina; differential retinal elasticity may explain the higher tendency toward tearing the macula and vitreous base.