Journal of Computational Applied Mechanics

CFD Simulation of the Aqueous Humour in Healthy or Glaucomatous Conditions

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Multi-Physical Engineering Sciences Group, Mechanical Engineering Department, Corrosion and Coatings Lab, Room 3-08, SEE Building, University of Salford, Manchester, M54WT, UK

2 Simulation Engineer, Shell Petroleum, London, UK

3 Engineering Mechanics Research, Israfil House, Dickenson Rd., Manchester, M13, UK

4 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560054, India

5 Department of Physics, College of Science, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea

6 Material Science Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM) Research Focus Area, North-West University (Mafikeng Campus), Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa

Abstract

This article presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of aqueous humour flow within the anterior chamber of the eye, comparing healthy and glaucomatous conditions. A simplified 2-dimensional cross-sectional geometry was developed using ANSYS Fluent 2024 R2 Design Modeller, with the trabecular meshwork represented as a porous medium, accounting for its role in flow resistance. Viscous resistances of 2.43 x 1013 m-2 and 6.5 x 1013 m-2 for healthy and glaucomatous cases respectively, were derived from literature and applied to simulate variations in the outflow. A mesh independence study was included. In the healthy model, the simulation peak intraocular pressure of 15.08 mmHg was consistent with normal physiological limits. In the glaucomatous case, intraocular pressure increased to 40.45 mmHg, representing a 168% rise, also agreeing with existing literature. The visualisation of flow fields revealed similar inlet velocity profiles but notable differences in pressure gradients, streamline curvature and vorticity distribution near the trabecular meshwork in the glaucomatous configuration. These numerical trends are within ±5% of existing literature results and confirm the validity of the study. The anterior chamber’s fluid sensitivity is clearly highlighted in the results, confirming the role of CFD as a predictive tool for understanding ocular fluid mechanics and supporting diagnostic and surgical decision making in glaucoma management.

Keywords

Main Subjects

[1]          J. Murgoitio-Esandi, B. Y. Xu, B. J. Song, Q. Zhou, A. A. Oberai, A mechanistic model of aqueous humor flow to study effects of angle closure on intraocular pressure, Translational Vision Science & Technology, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 16-16, 2023.
[2]          P. Missel, M. Horner, Modelling ocular delivery: Using computational fluid dynamics, ONdrugDelivery Magazine, Vol. 54, pp. 12-6, 2015.
[3]          A. Fitt, G. Gonzalez, Fluid mechanics of the human eye: aqueous humour flow in the anterior chamber, Bulletin of mathematical biology, Vol. 68, No. 1, pp. 53-71, 2006.
[4]          I. Issarti, C. Koppen, J. J. Rozema, Influence of the eye globe design on biomechanical analysis, Computers in biology and medicine, Vol. 135, pp. 104612, 2021.
[5]          C. R. Ethier, M. Johnson, J. Ruberti, Ocular biomechanics and biotransport, Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng., Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 249-273, 2004.
[6]          A. Villamarin, S. Roy, R. Hasballa, O. Vardoulis, P. Reymond, N. Stergiopulos, 3D simulation of the aqueous flow in the human eye, Medical engineering & physics, Vol. 34, No. 10, pp. 1462-1470, 2012.
[7]          H. S. Chaudhari, N. M. Patel, G. M. Chavan, A. S. Jain, D. D. Jain, Y. D. Patil, Glaucoma: An Overview, European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, Vol. 8, No. 8, pp. 739-743, 2021.
[8]          A. FLUENT, ANSYS FLUENT CFD Theory Manual, Theory Guide, 2025.
[9]          S. F. Ramadan, M. M. Bhatti, K. S. Mekheimer, A. M. A. S. Moawad, C. M. Khalique, Magneto-Bioconvection Dynamics of Synovial Nanofluids: Consequences of Porosity, Rheology, and Heat Generation, Journal of Computational Applied Mechanics, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 122-133, 2026.
[10]        M. J. Akbar, O. Anwar Bég, T. Anwar Bég, M. M. Bhatti, A. Kadir, S. Kuharat, CFD simulation of turbulent aerodynamics of a hummingbird wing for gliding micro-UAVs, Journal of Computational Applied Mechanics, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 230-256, 2026.
[11]        A. Miller, O. A. Bég, T. A. Bég, M. M. Bhatti, S. Kuharat, A. Kadir, Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Rotor Blade Aerodynamics for the Mars Ingenuity Helicopter, Journal of Computational Applied Mechanics, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 296-325, 2026.
[12]        C. N. Dautriche, Y. Xie, S. T. Sharfstein, Walking through trabecular meshwork biology: Toward engineering design of outflow physiology, Biotechnology advances, Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 971-983, 2014.
[13]        N. Basson, C.-H. S. Peng, P. Geoghegan, T. van der Lecq, D. Steven, S. Williams, A. E. Lim, W. H. Ho, A computational fluid dynamics investigation of endothelial cell damage from glaucoma drainage devices, Scientific reports, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 3777, 2024.
[14]        M. Johnson, J. W. McLaren, D. R. Overby, Unconventional aqueous humor outflow: a review, Experimental eye research, Vol. 158, pp. 94-111, 2017.
[15]        E.-H. Ooi, E. Y.-K. Ng, Simulation of aqueous humor hydrodynamics in human eye heat transfer, Computers in biology and medicine, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 252-262, 2008.
[16]        J. J. Heys, V. H. Barocas, A boussinesq model of natural convection in the human eye and the formation of Krukenberg's spindle, Annals of biomedical engineering, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 392-401, 2002.
[17]        D. W. Abu-Hassan, T. S. Acott, M. J. Kelley, The trabecular meshwork: a basic review of form and function, Journal of ocular biology, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-14, 2014.
[18]        E. R. Tamm, B. M. Braunger, R. Fuchshofer, Intraocular pressure and the mechanisms involved in resistance of the aqueous humor flow in the trabecular meshwork outflow pathways, Progress in molecular biology and translational science, Vol. 134, pp. 301-314, 2015.
[19]        H. A. Quigley, A. T. Broman, The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020, British journal of ophthalmology, Vol. 90, No. 3, pp. 262-267, 2006.
[20]        C. Wang, A.-L. Li, Y. Pang, Y.-Q. Lei, L. Yu, Changes in intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness during pregnancy: a systematic review and Meta-analysis, International Journal of Ophthalmology, Vol. 10, No. 10, pp. 1573, 2017.
[21]        R. Rosenquist, D. Epstein, S. Melamed, M. Johnson, W. M. Grant, Outflow resistance of enucleated human eyes at two different perfusion pressures and different extents of trabeculotomy, Current eye research, Vol. 8, No. 12, pp. 1233-1240, 1989.
[22]        C. B. Toris, M. E. Yablonski, Y.-L. Wang, C. B. Camras, Aqueous humor dynamics in the aging human eye, American journal of ophthalmology, Vol. 127, No. 4, pp. 407-412, 1999.
Journal of Computational Applied Mechanics
Volume 57, Issue 3
July 2026
Pages 369-390
  • Receive Date: 06 February 2026
  • Revise Date: 13 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 14 February 2026