Neuromechanics

Human Eyelid Neuromechanics

Eyelid performs critical functions to protect cornea and preserve functional vision. These functions relate to different eyelid behaviors(spontaneous blink, voluntary blink, reflex blink, soft closure, and forced closure). These behaviors are driven by a skeletal muscle called orbicularis oculi(OO) which has a unique circular geometry and diffuse innervation. It is thought that this distributed innervation allows characteristic kinematic motions that can differentiate the different eyelid behaviors. Yet, the field lacked understanding of the underlying mechanism to explain its relationship. This project approaches this problem using distributed intramuscular EMG signals across the OO and motion capture markers along the eyelid margin. This high density and high resolution measurement of eyelid biomechanics has not been done in the past due to technological limitation. The key highlight of this project is to show temporo-spatial sequence of muscle activation and kinematics for different eyelid behaviors. We believe this research has critical implications for diagnosis and treatment of eyelid paralysis.

• Project Lead: Jinyoung Kim
• Surgical Collaborators: Dr. Daniel Rootman (Opthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, UCLA)
• Project Team: Ashley Shirriff, Jordan Cornwell, Maria Paula Quintero Mutis, Ereni Delis, Sophia Wang