A Simple Mathematical Model of Exudative Retinal Detachment

The conditions under which exudative retinal detachment occurs are poorly understood, which hampers the success rate of surgery. Fluid dynamical effects play a major role in the detachment. A simple mathematical model for the exudative retinal detachment in which the sensory retina is separated typically from the underlying retinal pigment epithelium without any retinal hole and tear has been developed to investigate the interaction between the fluid flow and the detached retina. The model takes into consideration a typical retinal blister with unknown shape and the fluid flow caused by its accumulation in the subretinal space through the fluid?leakage into the subretinal space from the choriocapillaris across the outer blood?retina barrier described by Darcy’s law. The theory of bending beams is applied to model the deformation of the retinal blister. The boundary value problem describing the retinal deformation in dimensionless form is solved using the perturbation method. The computational results for the retinal deformation are presented through graphs to illustrate the sensitivity of the deformation to the elastic modulus, the moment of inertia and intraocular pressure and discussed.