Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40632852›Full record

ArticleScience advances2025

Multiscale analysis of equatorial sclera anisotropy: Revealing discrepancies in fiber orientation and mechanical properties.

Runze Li, Yi Hua, Fengyi Zhang, Xuejun Qian, Chen Gong, Xiao Wan, Susannah Waxman, Yushun Zeng, Ziyuan Che, Junhang Zhang and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Runze LiAlfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6642-5904
Yi HuaDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2399-9884
Fengyi ZhangBeckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92612, USA.ORCID 0009-0009-3785-2630
Xuejun QianAlfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3634-8757
Chen GongRoski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6262-704X
Xiao WanDepartment of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Susannah WaxmanDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6708-3187
Yushun ZengAlfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5995-4085
Ziyuan CheDepartment of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3709-439X
Junhang ZhangRoski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7847-3102
Wei JinBeckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92612, USA.
Mark S HumayunAlfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5830-5208
Zhongping ChenBeckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92612, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4584-4560
Ian A SigalDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0790-7911
Qifa ZhouAlfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1527-3020

Funding

Ophthalmic Therapeutics Engineering CoreP30EY029220 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Mahnaz Shahidi · 2018 to 2026
$6.5M
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY029220
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The sclera, the eye's primary load-bearing tissue, substantially influences the globe's response to intraocular pressure. Although the mechanical properties of the anterior and posterior segments have been extensively studied, the equatorial sclera's properties remain underexplored, limiting our understanding of ocular conditions like myopia, ocular trauma, and glaucoma. Traditional studies that rely solely on fiber orientation to explain scleral mechanics may overlook the tissue's complex biomechanical behavior. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive investigation using ultrasonic elastography, optical coherence elastography, and polarizing light microscopy to analyze the equatorial sclera's anisotropic properties. Our findings reveal a counterintuitive result: Mechanical anisotropy in the equatorial sclera contradicts preferred fiber orientation. This integrated approach not only challenges prevailing models of scleral biomechanics but also provides fundamental insights into the mechanisms underlying key ocular conditions, highlighting the importance of multimodal and multiscale analyses in biological tissue research.

Indexed as

ScleraAnisotropyBiomechanical PhenomenaElasticity Imaging TechniquesHumansIntraocular Pressure

Identifiers

PMID40632852
PMCPMC12239965

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.