Simulation of Temperature Variations in the Human Eye Affected by the Presence of a Tumor

Abstract:

The presence of a tumor inside biological bodies is known to cause increases in the temperature of surrounding healthy tissues. In the field of ophthalmology, the effects of tumor on the ocular temperature distribution have been rarely investigated, but a few experimental studies have shown that eyes with choroidal melanoma presented increases in the corneal surface temperature. Thus, the objective of this study was to simulate the thermal effects of an eye tumor on the ocular temperature distribution. The tumor was simulated as a circle, located at the interface between the sclera and vitreous. Variations in tumor size were evaluated. All simulation studies were based on the finite element discretization method (FEM), with the eye being approximated by a two-dimensional domain. Simulated results were compared to experimental data (obtained for healthy eyes employing a thermocamera), with satisfactory agreement (average % error < 1.8%). Simulations also showed that the presence of the tumor caused an increase in overall temperature values, mainly due to the effect of the more intense metabolic heat inside the tumor.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 816-817)
• Pages: 707-711
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.816-817.707
• Online since: September 2013
• Authors: Matheus Silveira, Adriana S. Franca
• Keywords: Eye Tumor, Finite Element Method (FEM), Heat Transfer, Pennes Model

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