Temperature of and heat flux density from the external ocular surface in diabetic retinopathy patients: a pilot study

Authors

  • L.I. Anatychuk Institute of Thermoelectricity, National Academy of Science and Ministry of Education and Science, Ukraine; Chernivtsi (Ukraine), Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University; Chernivtsi (Ukraine)
  • N.V. Pasyechnikova SI "The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the NAMS of Ukraine"; Odesa (Ukraine)
  • V.A. Naumenko SI "The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the NAMS of Ukraine"; Odesa (Ukraine)
  • O.S. Zadorozhnyy SI "The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the NAMS of Ukraine"; Odesa (Ukraine)
  • N.I. Khramenko SI "The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the NAMS of Ukraine"; Odesa (Ukraine)
  • R.E. Nazaretian SI "The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the NAMS of Ukraine"; Odesa (Ukraine)
  • R.R. Kobylianskyi Institute of Thermoelectricity, National Academy of Science and Ministry of Education and Science, Ukraine; Chernivtsi (Ukraine), Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University; Chernivtsi (Ukraine)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31288/oftalmolzh2019638

Keywords:

thermoelectric device, temperature of the external ocular surface, heat flux density, rheoophthalmography, diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

Background: Heat exchange characteristics include not only temperatures and temperature distribution, but also heat flux (HF).

Purpose: To examine temperature of and density of HF from the ocular surface in the eyes of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Material and Methods: Sixty-two patients (123 eyes) with DR were under observation. Of these, 28 (55 eyes) and 34 (68 eyes) were diagnosed with non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and proliferative DR (PDR), respectively. They underwent a general clinical examination and measurements of temperature of the external corneal surface and density of HF from the eye. In addition, all NPDR patients underwent rheoophthalmography (ROG).

Results: There was a significant difference in density of HF from the ocular surface (7.3 ± 2.1 mW/cm2 vs 6.3 ± 1.6 mW/cm2; p = 0.002), but not in ocular surface temperature (34.7 ± 1.3 °С vs 34.8 ± 1.1 °С; p = 0.8) between NPDR patients and PDR patients. HF density from the eye was positively correlated with the ocular blood volume coefficient (RQ; also named the rheographic coefficient) as assessed by ROG (r = 0.5; p = 0.01) for patients with NPDR. There was a relationship between the density of heat flux from the ocular surface and age of DR patients.

Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that (1) compared to the temperature of the ocular surface, the heat flux from the ocular surface better reflects the status of heat exchange in the eye, and (2) the technique might be promising as a diagnostic test for various pathological conditions involving impaired heat processes in the eye.

References

1.Burfield HJ, Carkeet A, Ostrin LA. Ocular and Systemic Diurnal Rhythms in Emmetropic and Myopic Adults. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019 May 1;60(6):2237-2247. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.19-26711

2.S?omko J, Zalewski P. The circadian rhythm of core body temperature (Part I): The use of modern telemetry systems to monitor core body temperature variability. Pol Hyperb Res. 2016;55:79-83.https://doi.org/10.1515/phr-2016-0014

3.Kazama A, Takatsu S, Hasegawa H. Effect of increase in body temperature on cognitive function during prolonged exercise. Jpn J Phys Fitness Sports Med. 2012;61(5):459-67.https://doi.org/10.7600/jspfsm.61.459

4.Boisson M, Alaux A, Kerforne T, Mimoz O, Debaene B, Dahyot-Fizelier C, Frasca D. Intra-operative cutaneous temperature monitoring with zero-heat-flux technique (3M SpotOn) in comparison with oesophageal and arterial temperature: A prospective observational study. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2018 Nov;35(11):825-830.https://doi.org/10.1097/EJA.0000000000000822

5.Tan J-H, Ng EYK, Acharya UR, Chee C. Infrared thermography on ocular surface temperature: A review. Infrared Phys Techn. 2009;52:97-108.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infrared.2009.05.002

6.Zadorozhnyy OS, Guzun OV, Bratishko AIu, Kustrin TB, Nasinnik IO, Korol AR. Infrared thermography of external ocular surface in patients with absolute glaucoma in transscleral cyclophotocoagulation: a pilot study. J ophthalmol (Ukraine). 2018;2:23-28.https://doi.org/10.31288/oftalmolzh/2018/2/2328

7.Bu?ko AS, Tsykalo AL, Terent'eva LS, Niankina EE. [Thermography based on liquid crystals in ophthalmologic oncology]. Oftalmol Zh. 1977;32(2):110-4. Russian.

8.Galassi F, Giambene B, Corvi A, Falaschi G. Evaluation of ocular surface temperature and retrobulbar haemodynamics by infrared thermography and colour Doppler imaging in patients with glaucoma. Br J Ophthalmol. 2007;91:878-81.https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.2007.114397

9.Sodi A, Giambene B, Falaschi G, et al. Ocular surface temperature in central retinal vein occlusion: preliminary data. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2007 Sep-Oct;17(5):755-9.https://doi.org/10.1177/112067210701700511

10.Kenny GP, Sigal RJ, McGinn R. Body temperature regulation in diabetes. Temperature. 2016 Jan 4;3(1):119-45.https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2015.1131506

11.Grischenko TG, Dekusha LV, Vorobiov L.Y. [Heat flow measuring: theory, metrology, practice]. Book 1. [Methods and means of heat flow measuring]. Kyiv: Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of NASU; 2017. Russian.

12.Anatychuk LI, Pasyechnikova NV, Naumenko VА, Zadorozhnyy OS, Gavrilyuk MV, Kobylianskyi RR. A thermoelectric device for ophthalmic heat flux density measurements: results of piloting in healthy individuals. J ophthalmol (Ukraine). 2019;3:45-51.https://doi.org/10.31288/oftalmolzh201934551

13.Yankovoy A.G. [Multivariate analysis in the STATISTICA system]. Odesa: Optimum; 2001. 216 p. Russian.

14.Sudhalkar A, Venkata A, Raman R, Rao PS, Jonnadula GB. Choroidal thickness in diabetic patients of Indian ethnicity. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2015 Dec;63(12):912-6.https://doi.org/10.4103/0301-4738.176024

Published

2025-12-11

How to Cite

[1]
Anatychuk, L. et al. 2025. Temperature of and heat flux density from the external ocular surface in diabetic retinopathy patients: a pilot study. Ukrainian Journal of Ophthalmology . 6 (Dec. 2025), 3–6. DOI:https://doi.org/10.31288/oftalmolzh2019638.

Issue

Section

Clinical Ophthalmology

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >> 

Similar Articles

<< < 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.