Computer Modelling of Thin, Soft Biological Tissues: A Decoupled Strategy for Standardizing Isotropic and Anisotropic Corneal Biomechanics

José González-Cabrero^1,2, Carmelo Gómez^1,2, Manuel Paredes³, Francisco Cavas^1,2,*
1 Departamento de Estructuras, Construcción y Expresión Gráfica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena member of European University of Technology EUT+, Campus Muralla del Mar, C/Doctor Fleming, s/n, Cartagena, España
2 Grupo de Bioingenieria y Simulación Computacional Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena member of European University of Technology EUT+, Campus Muralla del Mar, C/Doctor Fleming, s/n, Cartagena, España
3 ICA, Université de Toulouse, UPS, INSA, ISAE-SUPAERO, MINES-ALBI, CNRS, 3 rue Caroline Aigle, Toulouse, France
* Corresponding Author: Francisco Cavas. Email: email
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Modeling and Optimization of Biological and Bio-Inspired Systems)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2026.082643

Received 19 March 2026; Accepted 30 June 2026; Published online 15 July 2026

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Abstract

The development of accurate digital twin models of the human cornea is a key factor for planning and monitoring eye treatments and clinical supervision. Corneal tissue can be simulated with the implementation of hyperelastic models based on strain energy density functions. However, the number of hyperelastic models and the parameters’ variation that define these models hinder comparison across different studies. Furthermore, parameter calculations based on a single test are an ill-posed problem. In this research, a novel sequential methodology based on collagen fibril crimping strain threshold has been implemented to calculate the corneal material’s parameters. As an application case, this method has been applied to a hyperelastic Holzapfel–Gasser–Ogden (HGO) model to calculate the isotropic parameters associated with low stretch levels and the anisotropic parameters that consider the collagen fibres’ contribution at higher deformations. The sequential test combination applied to a standardized hyperelastic material model could contribute to ensuring physically meaningful and consistent material parameters, the comparison of different investigations, and the development of an accurate in silico patient-specific cornea model for clinical applications.