advertisement
Abstract #61687 Published in IGR 17-1
Phakic iris-fixated intraocular lens placement in the anterior chamber: effects on aqueous flow
Repetto R; Pralits JO; Siggers JH; Soleri PInvestigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 2015; 56: 3061-3068
PURPOSE: Phakic intraocular lenses (pIOLs) are used for correcting vision; in this paper we investigate the fluid dynamical effects of an iris-fixated lens in the anterior chamber. In particular, we focus on changes in the wall shear stress (WSS) on the cornea and iris, which could be responsible for endothelial and pigment cell loss, respectively, and also on the possible increase of the intraocular pressure, which is known to correlate with the incidence of secondary glaucoma. METHODS: We use a mathematical model to study fluid flow in the anterior chamber in the presence of a pIOL. The governing equations are solved numerically using the open source software OpenFOAM. We use an idealized standard geometry for the anterior chamber and a realistic geometric description of the pIOL. RESULTS: We consider separately the main mechanisms that produce fluid flow in the anterior chamber. The numerical simulations allow us to obtain a detailed description of the velocity and pressure distribution in the anterior chamber, and indicated that implantation of the pIOL significantly modifies the fluid dynamics in the anterior chamber. However, lens implantation has negligible influence on the intraocular pressure and does not produce a significant increase of the shear stress on the cornea, while the shear stress on the iris, although increased, is not enough to cause detachment of cells. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that alterations in the fluid dynamics in the anterior chamber as a result of lens implantation are unlikely to be the cause of medical complications associated with its use.
Department of Civil Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
Full articleClassification:
9.4.11.2 Glaucomas in aphakia and pseudophakia (Part of: 9 Clinical forms of glaucomas > 9.4 Glaucomas associated with other ocular and systemic disorders > 9.4.11 Glaucomas following intraocular surgery)
6.1.3 Factors affecting IOP (Part of: 6 Clinical examination methods > 6.1 Intraocular pressure measurement; factors affecting IOP)
2.6.2 Outflow (Part of: 2 Anatomical structures in glaucoma > 2.6 Aqueous humor dynamics)