Background: Pre and post-operative clinical assessment of the patients is generally based on the corneal tomographic data. However, techniques are required to assess the patient-specific structural and pathological changes for better therapeutic and surgical interventions. The birefringence of the human cornea is the manifestation of mechanics-structure interrelationship and is an important property to quantify corneal abnormalities. Objective: The present paper aims to understand the mechanics-structure interrelationship of the human cornea. Methods: For the first time, the birefringence behavior of the human cornea is explored using the digital photoelasticity technique and finite element method. The experimentally obtained phase maps of twenty corneas were analyzed at 0 and 20 mm Hg pressure. Finally, a qualitative comparison of the results from experiments and simulations was carried out. Results: Features like isotropic points, retardation maps, etc., were extracted from the photoelastic phase maps. The pressure loading did not create a statistically significant change in the average retardation of the central 4 mm cornea. However, the isotropic points were distributed differently in the tested corneas, depicting inter-individual variability in corneal birefringence. The authors found that the steepness or flatness of the corneal curvature decides the location of the isotropic points. Conclusions: The inter-individual variability in corneal birefringence arises from the complex interplay of the cornea's microstructure, curvature, and stress distribution. The authors foresee the applicability of digital photoelasticity in clinics for diagnostic and monitoring purposes due to its operational simplicity and data accuracy. © 2022, Society for Experimental Mechanics.