A finite element model of heat transport in the human eye.

A mathematical model of the human eye based on the bioheat transfer equation is developed. The intraocular temperature distribution is calculated using the Galerkin finite element method. A difficulty associated with the development of an accurate model of the human eye is the lack of reliable biological data available on the constants and parameters that are used in the model. These parameters include the thermal conductivities of the ocular tissues, the heat loss from the anterior corneal surface to the surroundings by convection and evaporation, and the convective heat loss from the sclera to the body core. The different values for the parameters reported in the ophthalmic literature are employed in the model, and the sensitivity of the temperature distribution to uncertainties in the parameters is investigated. A set of control parameter values is suggested for the normal human eye. The effect of the ambient temperature and the body-core temperature on the temperature distribution in the human eye is considered.