Corneal relaxation time estimation as a function of tear oxygen tension in human cornea during contact lens wear

Abstract

The purpose is to estimate the oxygen diffusion coefficient and the relaxation time of the cornea with respect to the oxygen tension at the cornea–tears interface. Both findings are discussed. From the experimental data provided by Bonanno et al., the oxygen tension measurements in vivo for human cornea–tears–contact lens (CL), the relaxation time of the cornea, and their oxygen diffusion coefficient were obtained by numerical calculation using the Monod‐kinetic model. Our results, considering the relaxation time of the cornea, observe a different behavior. At the time less than 8 s, the oxygen diffusivity process is upper‐diffusive, and for the relaxation time greater than 8 s, the oxygen diffusivity process is lower‐diffusive. Both cases depend on the partial pressure of oxygen at the entrance of the cornea. The oxygen tension distribution in the cornea–tears interface is separated into two different zones: one for conventional hydrogels, which is located between 6 and 75 mmHg, with a relaxation time included between 8 and 19 s, and the other zone for silicone hydrogel CLs, which is located at high oxygen tension, between 95 and 140 mmHg, with a relaxation time in the interval of 1.5–8 s. It is found that in each zone, the diffusion coefficient varies linearly with the oxygen concentration, presenting a discontinuity in the transition of 8 s. This could be interpreted as an aerobic‐to‐anaerobic transition. We attribute this behavior to the coupling formalism between oxygen diffusion and biochemical reactions to produce adenosine triphosphate.