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Biomechanics plays an important role in the physiology and pathophysiology of many systems in the body; its impact ranges all the way from cellular processes up to whole organ functions. Many cells have been identified as mechanosensitive i.e. these cells change their behavior due to changes in the biomechanical signals they receive.

In the Feola lab, our goal is to investigate ocular pathologies (e.g. glaucoma) from a women’s health perspective, with a particular interest on understanding how age and menopause play a role in developing these diseases. Our approach combines experimental biomechanics and computational modeling to determine and understand tissue mechanical properties of the eye under various loading conditions. However, biomechanics is only one tool we try to apply in our ongoing research. We also incorporate electrophysiology, behavior testing, and in vivo imaging approaches to understand how visual impairments progress over time and correlate to tissue remodeling and changes in biomechanical properties.