Evaluation of Thermal Responses of the Different Layers of Human Eye’s Cornea

Abstract

LASER is a form of electromagnetic radiation that converts light energy to heat  energy. It is a widely used, non-invasive procedure for correcting refractive errors in  ophthalmology. This study reports the evaluation of the thermal responses of  human corneal layers when exposed to this thermal energy from LASER. The  investigations took place in the simulation environment of COMSOL Multiphysics,  where we modeled the eye cornea with its five different layers: epithelium,  Bowman’s layer, stroma, Descemet’s membrane, and endothelium, from outermost  to innermost. The LASER had the wavelengths of 193 nm, a pulse duration of 2 ns,  and a heat flux of 1000 W/m². The total cornea thickness was 0.76 mm, and thermal  conductivity was 0.35 W/m K. The stroma responded to heat values of 330 K as the  highest, while the endothelium value was 285 K. This difference in values highlights  that the thermal response of the tissue is influenced by certain elements, which are  the thickness of the tissue, the thermal conductivity, and the heat capacity of the  tissue. The finding of this study is very essential in facilitating the LASER refractive  surgeries in the ophthalmology field.