Effects of Storage Time on the Mechanical Properties of Rabbit Peripapillary Sclera After Enucleation

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Abstract
In the field of biomechanics, little research has been performed to evaluate the effect of storage time on the material properties of ocular tissues. Twenty-four rabbit eyes were divided into six groups with storage times from 3 to 72 hr. A tensile specimen was prepared from the inferior quadrant of each sclera and was subjected to a stress relaxation test. The data were analyzed using linear viscoelastic theory yielding four material parameters (E(0), instantaneous elastic modulus; E(infinity), equilibrium elastic modulus; beta, half-width of the Gaussian distribution; tau(m); mean relaxation time). No statistically significant differences were found in the material properties of each group, which suggests that sclera can be stored up to 3 days without risking mechanical deterioration.
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