Quality assessment of polymer materials for human model eye development

Purpose We developed model eyes using six polymer materials to determine which materials were most appropriate in simulating real human sclera and extraocular muscle (EOM). Methods Five three-dimensional (3-D) printed polymers (FlexFill, PolyFlex, PCTPE, Soft PLA, and NinjaFlex) and one silicone material were systematically tested by board-certified ophthalmologists and senior ophthalmology residents. Material testing included scleral passes with 6–0 Vicryl sutures through each eye model. Participants completed a survey designed to collect demographic data, subjective assessment of each material’s accuracy in simulating real human sclera and EOM, and a ranking for each polymer material to identify which would be most suitable for an ophthalmic surgery training tool. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of ranks between the polymer materials. Results The distribution of ranks for silicone material’s "sclera" and "EOM" components were statistically significantly higher than that of all other polymer materials (all p