Diffusion-based degeneration of the collagen reinforcement in the pathologic human cornea

Abstract We describe a multiphysics model of the collagen structure cornea undergoing progressive localized reduction stiffness, preluding to development ectasia and keratoconus. The architecture stromal is assumed follow simplified two-family proposed in Pandolfi et al. (A microstructural cross-link interaction between fibrils human cornea. Philos Trans R Soc A 377:20180079, 2019), where mechanical stiffness supplied by transversal bonds within same family (inter-crosslink bonds) across two families (intra-crosslink bonds). In it was shown that loss spherical shape due protrusion cone can be ascribed weakening intra-crosslink central region structure. present study, bond coupled an evolutive pathologic phenomenon, modeled as reaction–diffusion process normalized scalar field. assume field concentration-like measure degeneration chemical stabilizing structural collagen. evolution response system terms change, according propagation field, identify critical stability resulting typical bulging keratoconus corneas.