Ocular surface heat flux density in healthy subjects

• Published in: Acta ophthalmologica (Oxford, England) Vol. 99; no. S265
• Main Authors: Anatychuk, Lukyan, Pasyechnikova, Nataliya, Naumenko, Volodimir, Kobylianskyi, Roman, Zadorozhnyy, Oleg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Age; Blood flow; Cornea; Eye; Heat; Herbivores
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2020.0068
• ISSN: 1755-375X

Purpose To investigate the heat flux (HF) density from the ocular surface in healthy individuals. Methods This pilot study included 32 healthy individuals (64 eyes). Participants were divided into three age groups. They underwent a bilateral eye examination which included measurements of intraocular pressure, temperature of the external corneal surface, rheoophthalmography (ROG), and heat flux density from the eye. The thermoelectric device for the measurement of HF density from the eye has been developed. Results Mean room temperature during examination sessions was 21.3 ± 0.8°C. In addition, mean temperature of the external ocular surface and mean HF density from the human eye were 34.6 ± 0.7°C and 7.7 ± 1.3 mW/cm2, respectively. We found that the HF density from the eye decreased with age in healthy subjects. HF density from the eye was positively correlated with the ocular blood volume coefficient as assessed by ROG. Conclusions Thermoelectric device for real‐time measuring of the HF density from the human eye was developed. The developed device was used to show the relationships of the HF density from the ocular surface with the temperature of the external ocular surface, ocular blood flow and subject age.