Bioheat transfer in the human eye: A boundary element approach

A boundary element method is applied for the numerical solution of a boundary value problem for a two-dimensional steady-state bioheat transfer model of the human eye. The human eye is modeled as comprising four distinct homogeneous regions. The boundary condition on the outer surface of the cornea is non-linear due to heat radiation. An iterative approach is used to treat the non-linear heat radiation term. The center corneal temperature is computed numerically and compared with values reported in the literature. It appears that the boundary element method calculates the normal heat flux more accurately than the finite element method on the corneal surface, especially near its edges.