This paper presents a two-dimensional model of the human eye to investigate the evolution of temperature in transient state and the associated thermal damage in the layers of the eye and, especially in the choroidal melanoma. The computer modeling and simulation were performed for a patient with a choroidal melanoma, undergoing treatment by laser irradiation. To determine the temperature field, we developed a model that uses the Pennes Bioheat Transfer Equation (BHTE) that has a term of source/sink that responds to the heat transferred through the blood perfusion. The Birngruber model was used to determine the function of thermal damage during the laser transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT). The analysis was carried out from an ultrasound image of the patient. This type of examination provided the dimensions of the eye and the tumor. The CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) commercial software FLUENT&®, which uses the Finite Volume Method (FVM) was used in the analysis of the model. The temperatures, steady-state, were calculated for the normal eye, i.e, without laser irradiation and these results were used as initial condition for the simulation of transient state to the eye irradiated for 60 seconds with a diode laser (810 nm and output power of 178, 222, 400 and 500 mW) whose beam had a diameter of 2.0 to 3.0 mm and irradiance of 56,588 and 70,736 W/m² on the cornea. To validate the model, the results of temperatures, in steady state to the eye not exposed to laser radiation, were compared with others showing a good agreement between them. The results of thermal damage and transient state, for the eye irradiated by the laser, show that the values of damage depth are in agreement with the literature.
Choroidal melanoma; Thermal damage; BHTE; Birngruber; TTT; Computational simulation
