Biomimetic computational modeling of retinal ganglion cell responses to contact lens designs with refractive and opaque non-refractive features

Biomimetic computational modeling of retinal ganglion cell responses to contact lens designs with refractive and opaque non-refractive features | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Biomimetic computational modeling of retinal ganglion cell responses to contact lens designs with refractive and opaque non-refractive features Ravi C Bakaraju, Praveen K Bandela This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9173094/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Purpose: To computationally evaluate how single vision (SV), concentric bifocal (BF), and a contact lens with non-refractive opaque elements (AR) lens designs modulate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) activity. Methods : Wide-field retinal simulations were generated using a schematic myopic eye corrected with SV, BF, and AR designs across three stimuli (Lena image, logMAR chart, dynamic gratings), three pupil diameters, and three residual accommodative error configurations. For each configuration, retinal image montages emulating blink-induced on-eye lens movement over one second were processed through a multilayer biomimetic virtual retina model to simulate RGC spike trains, quantified using median absolute deviation (MAD) and up-crossing rate (UCR). Results: Across stimuli, pupils and residual‑error configurations, SV lens design exhibited an initial transient peak in RGC firing followed by rapid decay to a steady, low-variability tonic state (MAD range: static 29.68 to 49.21, dynamic 402.74 to 409.83 kHz). The BF lens design produced increased temporal variability and burst-like activity relative to SV, that depended on pupil and residual error (MAD range: static 36.05–72.14, dynamic 384.37–413.26 kHz; UCR up to static 11.25%, dynamic 16.25%). AR lens design yielded strong and sustained phasic, burst-like activity (MAD range: static 68.64–129.01, dynamic 418.25–454 kHz; UCR up to static 20%, dynamic 18.75%), reflected in elevated MAD and UCR values. Conclusions: Both BF and AR lens designs produced measurable changes in RGC temporal activity relative to SV, with AR inducing greater and more configuration-independent modulation. These findings support the hypothesis that temporal encoding of RGC response may contribute to myopia control, although clinical validation is warranted. Myopia Ganglion cells ON and OFF pathways non-refractive elements bifocal contact lenses Full Text Additional Declarations Competing interest reported. This work was funded by Nthalmic Pty Ltd, which holds intellectual property rights related to ARREST technology (WO/2021/108843). Supplementary Files S1ModelingZOSCLsSchematicEyes.zip S2WideFieldRetinalSimSourceIMGPseudocode.zip S3BakarajuetalFigure1Inputstimuli.gif S4BiomimeticVirtualRetinaFiles.zip S5QuantitativeEvalofRGCResposnes.zip Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 03 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 15 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 13 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 24 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 23 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 23 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9173094","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":618033530,"identity":"79e877d6-8927-47bd-9a98-0bacc822fba6","order_by":0,"name":"Ravi C Bakaraju","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA60lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHgbGBiDF2MB8AMSSYWAmXgtbAsPBBiCXaC1AhgFECyFg3sB78OOMmnvyzDNyvj3+uMOOR7ed+QHDj4ptOLXIHOBLltxwrNiwcUbudoODZ5J5zA6zGTD2nLmNU4sE0D2SD9gSGIFatkkcbGMGagF6h7ENrxbjnw/+Jdg3zsh5BtRST5QWM8mNbQmJQC1sQC2HidDCzJdmObMvIbmx55mZxNm242C/HMTrF/bewzd7viXYbmxPfiZR2VYtZ3b+8MMHPypwa4FHnGEDkuAB3OqRgDxRqkbBKBgFo2BEAgAOMFXMCEAC1AAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"nthalmic Pty Ltd","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ravi","middleName":"C","lastName":"Bakaraju","suffix":""},{"id":618033531,"identity":"01742c3c-b315-47db-933f-bdd6a62f8c78","order_by":1,"name":"Praveen K Bandela","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"nthalmic Pty Ltd","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Praveen","middleName":"K","lastName":"Bandela","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-19 21:53:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9173094/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9173094/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":106608379,"identity":"81b7b84c-ec8e-4c20-9541-62ec480374d4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-10 11:41:58","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1502012,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"1BakarajuetalOpticalandBiomimmeticmodellingofCLs.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9173094/v1_covered_fcc4dd98-7741-4a1a-991c-33ad1cc5fd8c.pdf"},{"id":106608035,"identity":"66853a11-503a-4e76-8b9c-a896c750de4b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-10 11:40:04","extension":"zip","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":35072914,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S1ModelingZOSCLsSchematicEyes.zip","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9173094/v1/e7552bd091420cd407d443e0.zip"},{"id":106608171,"identity":"6c303f7a-0c14-4407-b50c-85bf48e0a393","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-10 11:40:46","extension":"zip","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":39319968,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S2WideFieldRetinalSimSourceIMGPseudocode.zip","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9173094/v1/6c2e5f731a249067a19db5c5.zip"},{"id":106608034,"identity":"9d7efc03-9180-4497-91e9-3bdbf725fdc7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-10 11:40:03","extension":"gif","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":57080292,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S3BakarajuetalFigure1Inputstimuli.gif","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9173094/v1/069deebcd039f16c29f5bf61.gif"},{"id":106608281,"identity":"2dcaf5dc-4ccf-4397-ba01-4493a5f2d2d6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-10 11:41:24","extension":"zip","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":232344,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S4BiomimeticVirtualRetinaFiles.zip","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9173094/v1/15d10eeba4ebd258c697afb3.zip"},{"id":106608069,"identity":"bd2d2570-bba9-479b-a487-47f2d068f7bc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-10 11:40:05","extension":"zip","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":21061,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S5QuantitativeEvalofRGCResposnes.zip","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9173094/v1/154fca1bf9d92645ca854f9b.zip"}],"financialInterests":"Competing interest reported. This work was funded by Nthalmic Pty Ltd, which holds intellectual property rights related to ARREST technology (WO/2021/108843).","formattedTitle":"Biomimetic computational modeling of retinal ganglion cell responses to contact lens designs with refractive and opaque non-refractive features","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-ophthalmology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"boph","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Ophthalmology](http://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/boph","title":"BMC Ophthalmology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Myopia, Ganglion cells, ON and OFF pathways, non-refractive elements, bifocal contact lenses","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9173094/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9173094/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePurpose: \u003c/strong\u003eTo computationally evaluate how single vision (SV), concentric bifocal (BF), and a contact lens with non-refractive opaque elements (AR) lens designs modulate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) activity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e: Wide-field retinal simulations were generated using a schematic myopic eye corrected with SV, BF, and AR designs across three stimuli (Lena image, logMAR chart, dynamic gratings), three pupil diameters, and three residual accommodative error configurations. For each configuration, retinal image montages emulating blink-induced on-eye lens movement over one second were processed through a multilayer biomimetic virtual retina model to simulate RGC spike trains, quantified using median absolute deviation (MAD) and up-crossing rate (UCR).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eAcross stimuli, pupils and residual‑error configurations, SV lens design exhibited an initial transient peak in RGC firing followed by rapid decay to a steady, low-variability tonic state (MAD range: static 29.68 to 49.21, dynamic 402.74 to 409.83 kHz). The BF lens design produced increased temporal variability and burst-like activity relative to SV, that depended on pupil and residual error (MAD range: static 36.05–72.14, dynamic 384.37–413.26 kHz; UCR up to static 11.25%, dynamic 16.25%). AR lens design yielded strong and sustained phasic, burst-like activity (MAD range: static 68.64–129.01, dynamic 418.25–454 kHz; UCR up to static 20%, dynamic 18.75%), reflected in elevated MAD and UCR values.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions: \u003c/strong\u003eBoth BF and AR lens designs produced measurable changes in RGC temporal activity relative to SV, with AR inducing greater and more configuration-independent modulation. These findings support the hypothesis that temporal encoding of RGC response may contribute to myopia control, although clinical validation is warranted.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Biomimetic computational modeling of retinal ganglion cell responses to contact lens designs with refractive and opaque non-refractive features","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-10 11:38:12","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9173094/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-03T10:54:55+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-30T08:41:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"175514579096382957091605883698045776861","date":"2026-04-24T06:42:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"273646803154556514431356669252408216274","date":"2026-04-23T09:19:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-15T09:12:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-13T10:54:00+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-24T04:58:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-23T21:09:57+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Ophthalmology","date":"2026-03-23T21:04:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-ophthalmology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"boph","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Ophthalmology](http://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/boph","title":"BMC Ophthalmology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5e3122f4-9ef3-4208-9be7-594650e841b0","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 10th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-03T10:54:55+00:00","index":70,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-30T08:41:18+00:00","index":69,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-15T09:41:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-10 11:38:12","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9173094","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9173094","identity":"rs-9173094","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}