Numerical and Experimental study of Collagen Crosslinking Treatment for Keratoconus Matthew Ranft, RET Fellow 2010 Lyons Township High School RET Mentor: Prof. Craig Foster Chicago Science Teacher Research (CSTR) Program – NSF-RET 2010 GoalsIntroduction Conclusion Process Keratoconus Teaching Module Plan NSF CBET EEC Grant, Chicago Science Teacher Research (CSTR) Program Director, A. Linninger Dr. Andreas Linninger, RET Program Director DR. Craig Foster, RET Mentor Seon Kim, RET Managing Assistant Dipika Gongal, UIC PhD Candidate Members of LPPD, Brain Sweetman and Sukhraaj S. Basati Acknowledgements FEA use of matrices Finite Element Analysis makes use of matrices algebra solving many equations simultaneously. As a high school algebra teacher matrices are taught at length in Algebra II. A direct application of Matrices used in FEA will be incorporated in to a lesson to show how Matrices are used. Communications in mathematics Many students struggle to find connections to real life and mathematics. Students will be presented with many math applications to current real life issues such as medicine, environmental and biological. Motivation Creation of numerical models of the cornea will hopefully lead to better understanding of the structure of the cornea and aid in the treatment of degenerative diseases of the eye such as Keratoconus. The material and geometry that make up the cornea is too complex to be modeled through purely analytical means. Approximate numerical techniques are required such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Objective Research Potential Finite Element Analysis Software to develop an interface with project specific code. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a numerical procedure used to obtain solutions to a variety of engineering problems and is widely used in the manufacturing industry. FEA software allows the ability to analyze complex geometries with relative ease. cerebral artery Finite Element Analysis is used to obtain solutions to a wide class of engineering problems involving stress analysis, fluid flow, electromagnetism…etc. Coupled with the use of computer software problems of enormous difficultly because of time and complexity are now being solved. The structure of the human cornea is extremely complex. Through the use of FEA methods and software a better understanding of the cornea is being sought. This may lead to better understanding and treatment of keratoconus and other eye disorders and has the potential to impact millions of lives. 1. Identify FEA meshing software that is available. 2. Learn particular aspects of each software capabilities 3. Evaluate software abilities such as exportability, meshing abilities, cost, user friendly etc. Force or weight being supported from metal plate attached to ceiling need to analyzed for Stress and strain. + = Keratoconus is a degenerative eye disease that results in a loss of shape and stiffness of the cornea. This disease affects about one to every two thousand people usually beginning at age sixteen. By age thirty the severe change in shape of the cornea results in blurred vision as the cornea is no longer able to focus light properly on to the retina. Normal Vision light focused on retina Keratoconus light not focused on retina The main layer of the cornea is the Stroma. The Stroma is made up of collagen fibrils bundled together. In Keratoconus these fibrils loose their strength. In Crosslinking treatment Riboflavin (Vitamin B 12) drops are added to the cornea followed by Ultra Violet Light. Prior to Treatment After Treatment After Crosslinking treatment more bonds between the fibrils have formed making the cornea stronger Under normal conditions the human cornea is a complicated geometry. Both the material it is made of and the its overall shape are nonlinear. A cornea effected by Karatoconus will make the geometry and material even more complex. A computer generated model of the cornea can be created using FEA software. Once the geometry is created a mesh is created that essentially breaks the cornea down to much smaller elements. Mathematical equations are then applied over these elements to calculate stress, strain, deformation…etc. Color graphics can then be applied to aid in the visualization of how the cornea is effected. Force - F W L Analytical analysis of the plate can be performed treating the plate as whole where Stress = force/area Strain = change in length/original length A more detailed analysis can be performed using FEA Software. This software will allow for more detailed analysis by breaking down the plate into smaller elements (mesh) and analyzing each individual element. Finite Element Analysis Simplified