Mathematical Modeling of Ocular Mechanics, Circulation and Oxygenation and their Relation to Glaucoma

青光眼是一种视神经受损的疾病，导致进行性、不可逆的视力丧失。青光眼是世界范围内第二大致盲原因，但其发病机制和治疗尚未完全了解。 青光眼主要与眼内压升高相关，并通过降低该压力的干预措施进行治疗。 奇怪的是，已经观察到尽管眼内压相对较低，许多人仍会发生青光眼，并且尽管眼内压升高，许多人从未发生青光眼。 眼循环受损和青光眼之间的联系已被确定，并有助于解释这一矛盾。 然而，目前尚不清楚血流的改变是否是青光眼相关视网膜细胞死亡的原因或影响。 因此，本研究的目的是使用眼部血流调节和组织灌注和氧合的数学模型来确定血液动力学改变是原发性还是继发性青光眼损伤。具体而言，将使用模型模拟比较血管调节机制受损和眼内压升高对血流的影响。 这些影响将与模型预测的组织氧合，以了解是否受损的眼循环导致细胞死亡，或者如果细胞死亡的原因是受损的circumstance.The结果这项研究将有助于解释眼结构和血流的临床测量，并提供新的治疗策略青光眼的见解。 获得模型解所需的非标准技术是数学研究的活跃领域，因此该项目将为医学和数学领域做出重大贡献。 此外，在眼睛中进行研究是特别重要的，因为它是人体中唯一的环境，在这里可以容易地和非侵入性地观察和测量血流和全身血管特征，直到非常小的水平（毛细血管）。 这些测量不仅确定了青光眼的风险指标，而且确定了目前降低人类生活质量的许多系统性疾病的风险指标，包括糖尿病、高血压和动脉粥样硬化。 通过将对人体生理学基本原理的理论解释和描述与实验和临床测量相结合，这项研究具有独特的潜力，可以影响多种疾病的知识和治疗。

Glaucoma is a disease in which the optic nerve is damaged, leading to progressive, irreversible loss of vision. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and yet its pathogenesis and treatment are not fully understood. Glaucoma is primarily associated with elevated intraocular pressure and is treated with interventions that lower this pressure. Paradoxically, it has been observed that many people develop glaucoma despite relatively low intraocular pressure and that many people never develop glaucoma despite elevated intraocular pressure. A link between impaired ocular circulation and glaucoma has been identified and helps to explain this paradox. It is unclear, however, if alterations in blood flow are a cause or effect of the retinal cell death associated with glaucoma. Therefore, the objective of this study is to use a mathematical model of ocular blood flow regulation and tissue perfusion and oxygenation to determine whether hemodynamic alterations are primary or secondary to glaucomatous damage. Specifically, the effects of impaired vascular regulation mechanisms and elevated intraocular pressure on blood flow will be compared using model simulations. These effects will be related to model predictions of tissue oxygenation in order to understand whether impaired ocular circulation causes cell death or if cell death is the cause of impaired circulation.The results of this study will aid the interpretation of clinical measurements of eye structure and blood flow and provide insight for new treatment strategies for glaucoma. The non-standard techniques required to obtain model solutions are active areas of research in mathematics, and thus this project will provide significant contributions to both medical and mathematical fields. Moreover, conducting studies in the eye is of particular importance because it is the only environment in the human body where blood flow and systemic vascular features can be observed and measured easily and non-invasively down to a very small level (capillary vessels). These measurements identify risk indicators not only of glaucoma but also of many systemic diseases currently diminishing the quality of human life, including diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis. By combining theoretical interpretations and descriptions of underlying principles of human physiology with experimental and clinical measurements, this study has a unique potential to impact the knowledge and treatment of multiple diseases.