Modelling the elastic properties of the anterior eye and their contribution to maintenance of image quality: the role of the limbus.

Purpose: The elastic moduli of the cornea, sclera, and limbus for different corneal eccentricities (e) and varying levels of intraocular pressure (IOP) were modelled in order to determine how the rheological properties, especially those of the limbus, need to alter to maintain optical image quality when the eye is subjected to small variations in IOP.

Methods: Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to construct eyeball models with four different corneal eccentricities (e=0, 0.33, 0.