Aqueous humour flow in the posterior chamber of the eye and its modifications due to pupillary block and iridotomy

Abstract

The anterior chamber (AC) and posterior chamber (PC) of the eye are connected through the pupil and are filled with aqueous humour. The aqueous flows from the posterior to the AC at an approximately constant rate, and the intraocular pressure is governed by this rate and the resistance to aqueous outflow. In some patients the iris and lens come into contact, leading to pressure build-up in the PC, peripheral axial shallowing of the AC and, possibly, to angle-closure glaucoma. This can lead to blindness, which may be prevented by surgically creating an iridotomy, that is a hole through the iris to facilitate the flow from the posterior to the AC. The problem of optimal size and location of an iridotomy is still poorly understood. In this article, we study aqueous flow in the PC and investigate how it is modified in the presence of an iridotomy. Our approach is based on the lubrication theory, which allows us to solve the problem semi-analytically. We treat the iridotomy as a point sink and assume that the flux through it is proportional to the pressure. We find that the ideal size and location of an iridotomy are influenced by various geometrical and fluid mechanical factors, the most relevant of which are the size of the hole and the length and height of the iris-lens channel. For certain iridotomy diameters, we find that the jet velocity through the iridotomy might be large enough to cause possible corneal damage.