Modeling the eye as a window on the body

Alice Verticchio Vercellin,Lucia Carichino,Sergey Lapin,Simone Cassani

doi:10.35119/maio.v2i4.110

Abstract

Systemic pathologies such as diabetes and hypertension affect different organs and systems in the body. However, the first signs of these pathologies often emerge as alterations in visual and structural functions in the eye. As a consequence, the ophthalmologist is often the first physician to make a diagnosis of systemic diseases. In fact, the eye represents a unique organ where signs of systemic diseases may be assessed with non-invasive techniques.

Highlights

Systemic pathologies such as diabetes and arterial hypertension affect different organs and systems in the body.[1,2,3,4] the first signs of these pathologies often emerge as functional and structural alterations in the eye.[1,2,3,4] As a consequence, the ophthalmologist is often the first physician to make a diagnosis of systemic diseases
The workshop “Modeling the eye as a window on the body” brought together twenty participants among leading experts and new researchers from universities in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Italy and France, with the following common goals: 1. Provide a forum to discuss how to address the challenges of the mathematical coupling of the eye to the rest of the body
In the eye, blood flow velocities are assessed in the retrobulbar vessels and the participants shared their knowledge about the hemodynamic changes in glaucoma.[24]

Summary

Introduction

Systemic pathologies such as diabetes and arterial hypertension affect different organs and systems in the body.[1,2,3,4] the first signs of these pathologies often emerge as functional and structural alterations in the eye.[1,2,3,4] As a consequence, the ophthalmologist is often the first physician to make a diagnosis of systemic diseases. The eye represents a unique organ where signs of systemic diseases may be assessed with noninvasive techniques.[3] The vessels of the retinal microcirculation are the only ones in the whole body where the physician, via the examination of the fundus oculi, can observe vessel health directly and noninvasively In this sense, the diagnosis and follow-up of important systemic conditions, such as diabetes and arterial hypertension, is performed by the periodical examination of the fundus oculi. The coupling involves the following multiscale and multiphysics components: fluid flows (e.g. aqueous humor, blood, and urine), structural deformations, oxygen transport, pressurized ambients, local vascular regulatory mechanisms, and micro- and macro-vasculature networks This will require sophisticated mathematical techniques such as systems of mixed hyperbolic, parabolic, and elliptic partial differential equations involving multiple time scales. The results of this collaborative effort have been published in scientific and clinical journals.[11,12]

Workshop “Modeling the eye as a window on the body”

Workshop lectures

Future research directions

Conclusions