The UV cross-linking technique applied to the cornea is a popular and effective therapy for eye diseases such as keratoconus and ectatic disorders. The treatment strengthens the cornea by forming new cross-links via photochemical reactions and, in turn, prevents the disease from further developing. To better understand and capture the underlying mechanisms, we develop a multi-physics model that considers the migration of the riboflavin (i.e., the photo-initializer), UV light absorption, the photochemical reaction that forms the cross-links, and biomechanical changes caused by changes to the microstructure. Our model is calibrated to a set of nanoindentation tests on UV cross-linked corneas from the literature. Additionally, we implement our multi-physics model numerically into a commercial finite element software. We also compare our simulation against a set of inflation tests from the literature. The simulation capability allows us to make quantitative predictions of a therapy’s outcomes in full 3-D, based on the actual corneal geometry; it also helps medical practitioners with surgical planning.

应用于角膜的紫外线交联技术是治疗圆锥角膜和扩张障碍等眼部疾病的流行且有效的疗法。该治疗通过光化学反应形成新的交联来增强角膜，进而防止疾病进一步发展。为了更好地理解和捕捉潜在机制，我们开发了一个多物理模型，该模型考虑了核黄素（即光引发剂）的迁移、紫外光吸收、形成交联的光化学反应以及引起的生物力学变化通过微观结构的改变。我们的模型被校准为一组来自文献的紫外线交联角膜的纳米压痕测试。此外，我们将我们的多物理场模型以数值方式实施到商业有限元软件中。我们还将我们的模拟与文献中的一组通货膨胀测试进行了比较。模拟能力使我们能够根据实际的角膜几何形状以全 3-D 形式对治疗结果进行定量预测；它还可以帮助医生制定手术计划。