Inverse-Designed Anisotropic Intrastromal Corneal Exoskeletons for Keratoconus: A Three-Dimensional Computational Feasibility Study
Abstract
We propose G-EXO, an inverse-designed intrastromal corneal exoskeleton for keratoconus. Unlike conventional intracorneal ring approaches, G-EXO is conceived as a patient-customizable, sectorial and anisotropic scaffold whose geometry and stiffness are optimized to redistribute corneal deformation and reduce asymmetric optical aberrations. We develop a three-dimensional finite-element screening model with localized ectatic weakening, physiological intraocular pressure, and an intrastromal reinforcement domain. A representative design produced a modest but consistent reduction in pressure-induced coma, with a mesh-refined estimate of about 5%, while displacement and stress metrics were more numerically stable. The study is presented as a computational feasibility framework rather than a clinical validation. Its main contribution is to formulate intrastromal reinforcement as a free-form optical-biomechanical inverse-design problem. Patient-specific tomography, nonlinear anisotropic corneal mechanics, full optical modeling, and ex-vivo validation are identified as the next steps.
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BibTeX
@misc{sumayamartinez2026inversedesigned,
title = {{Inverse-Designed Anisotropic Intrastromal Corneal Exoskeletons for Keratoconus: A Three-Dimensional Computational Feasibility Study}},
author = {J. Sumaya-Martinez and Alan Altamirano},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.08529},
eprint = {2610.08529},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.08529},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Inverse-Designed Anisotropic Intrastromal Corneal Exoskeletons for Keratoconus: A Three-Dimensional Computational Feasibility Study
AU - J. Sumaya-Martinez
AU - Alan Altamirano
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.08529
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.08529
AB - We propose G-EXO, an inverse-designed intrastromal corneal exoskeleton for keratoconus. Unlike conventional intracorneal ring approaches, G-EXO is conceived as a patient-customizable, sectorial and anisotropic scaffold whose geometry and stiffness are optimized to redistribute corneal deformation and reduce asymmetric optical aberrations. We develop a three-dimensional finite-element screening model with localized ectatic weakening, physiological intraocular pressure, and an intrastromal reinforcement domain. A representative design produced a modest but consistent reduction in pressure-induced coma, with a mesh-refined estimate of about 5%, while displacement and stress metrics were more numerically stable. The study is presented as a computational feasibility framework rather than a clinical validation. Its main contribution is to formulate intrastromal reinforcement as a free-form optical-biomechanical inverse-design problem. Patient-specific tomography, nonlinear anisotropic corneal mechanics, full optical modeling, and ex-vivo validation are identified as the next steps.
ER -