Topical therapeutic agents that modulate corneal wound healing

Corneal wound healing is a complex process that involves the interplay between cellular elements of the cornea, a host of cytoactive factors, constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM), chemical characteristics of the extracellular milieu (eg, pH, osmolarity), and biomechanical forces (eg, lid movement). We present here a review of normal corneal anatomy, corneal epithelial wound healing, and stromal wound healing and then focus on describing those soluble factors recognized to play a major role in the modulation of wound healing processes. In particular, we emphasize those studies and factors that have been shown to modulate wound healing processes in domestic animals.