An Analytical Solution of the Hyperbolic Bioheat Model of the Cornea Subjected to Laser Irradiation

The thermal effects occurring in a cornea subjected to short-pulsed laser irradiation during laser thermokeratoplasty (LTK) are investigated. The transient bioheat transfer is described by the hyperbolic model and solved analytically using the finite Fourier transform technique and the method of variation of parameters. The computational results predicted by the hyperbolic model show that the degree of damage in the corneal tissue induced by Ho: YAG laser irradiation under LTK surgery increases linearly with time. An increase in the convection coefficient of the anterior corneal surface causes an insignificant reduction in the corneal temperature, whereas an increase in the value of phase lag in the heat flux vector causes a rise in the corneal temperature.