1. Date of download: 1/2/2018
Copyright © ASME. All rights reserved.
From: Elasticity of the Porcine Lens Capsule as Measured by Osmotic Swelling
J Biomech Eng. 2010;132(9): doi: /
Figure Legend:
Anatomical and model schematic of ocular lens: (a) Anatomy of ocular lens. (b) Model schematic of ocular lens before placement in hypotonic solution and (c) after some time in hypotonic solution. The subscripts c and o refer to the core of the lens and the outside bath, respectively. Initially the lens is not swollen and a mushy zone does not exist. After placement in hypotonic solution, water penetrates the lens capsule and the lens fibers swell in layers. The swollen fibers constitute the mushy zone, and the interface between the mushy zone and the core marks the water front. The difference in osmolarity between the core and outside bath is the driving force for lens expansion, which is opposed by mechanical pressure from the stretched lens capsule.