CFD Simulation of the Aqueous Humour in Healthy or Glaucomatous Conditions

This article presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of aqueous humour flow within the anterior chamber of the eye, comparing healthy and glaucomatous conditions. A simplified ۲-dimensional cross-sectional geometry was developed using ANSYS Fluent ۲۰۲۴ R۲ Design Modeller, with the trabecular meshwork represented as a porous medium, accounting for its role in flow resistance. Viscous resistances of ۲.۴۳ x ۱۰۱۳ m-۲ and ۶.۵ x ۱۰۱۳ m-۲ for healthy and glaucomatous cases respectively, were derived from literature and applied to simulate variations in the outflow. A mesh independence study was included. In the healthy model, the simulation peak intraocular pressure of ۱۵.۰۸ mmHg was consistent with normal physiological limits. In the glaucomatous case, intraocular pressure increased to ۴۰.۴۵ mmHg, representing a ۱۶۸% rise, also agreeing with existing literature. The visualisation of flow fields revealed similar inlet velocity profiles but notable differences in pressure gradients, streamline curvature and vorticity distribution near the trabecular meshwork in the glaucomatous configuration. These numerical trends are within ±۵% of existing literature results and confirm the validity of the study. The anterior chamber’s fluid sensitivity is clearly highlighted in the results, confirming the role of CFD as a predictive tool for understanding ocular fluid mechanics and supporting diagnostic and surgical decision making in glaucoma management.

کلیدواژه ها:

Ocular fluid dynamics ، aqueous humour ، anterior chamber ، glaucomatous conditions ، trabecular meshwork ، Darcy porous medium ، Intraocular pressure ، streamline curvature