Unilateral posterior scleral defects do not affect the clinical biomechanics of the eye: a case series

Abstract Background Modern advances in technology capable of measuring the biomechanics of the eye have brought about new ways of analysing and monitoring glaucoma and created means of further elucidating the pathophysiology of the disease. Optic pits or scleral defects could be expected to impact ocular biomechanics, potentially creating more viscous, energy dispersive behaviour. Case presentation In this case series we assessed the corneal and pressure biomechanics of three eyes with unilateral defects in the peripapillary sclera and compared them to the normal fellow eyes. Measurements obtained included corneal hysteresis, ocular pulse amplitude, deformation amplitude, changes in pressure with standing and lying, and response to a water-drinking test. Subtle differences between eyes were observed, but without consistency between participants or differences of clinical significance. Conclusions These findings suggest the current anterior measurements of ocular biomechanics do not detect posterior structural variations.