ABSTRACT
The electromagnetic (EM) waves of the different power levels and frequencies penetrate deep into the human body causing health risks. In recent years, there has been some increasing public concern with the interaction between the human body and the EM elds. Since the eye is one of the most sensitive organs to the EM elds, the high-intensity EM elds may lead to a variety of ocular effects. However, the resulting thermophysiologic response of the eye to EM elds is not well understood. Therefore, it is important to investigate the ocular effects occurred during exposure to EM elds. Although the safety standards written in terms of maximum tissue specic absorption rate (SAR) values are regulated, they are not stated in terms of maximum temperature increase in the eye caused by EM energy absorption. The eye temperature increasing gradually can cause serious long-term effects on eyesight and vision. There have been medical case reports of cataract formation in humans via microwave radiation [1]. It is reported that a temperature increase in the eye of 3°C-5°C leads to induce cataract formation [2] and a temperature above 41°C is necessary for production of posterior lens opacities [3]. Therefore, to gain insight into the phenomenon of eye temperature distribution induced by EM elds, it is necessary to have a detailed knowledge of the absorbed power distribution and the temperature distribution.
