Abstract
The healthy corneal epithelium has tight junctions and forms a barrier between the environment and the inside of the eye. The tear film aids in protecting the corneal surface, and artificial tear solutions provide temporary relief of dry eye. The tear film is composed of three layers: the lipid, aqueous and mucin layers. The mucin layer, which lies adjacent to the ocular surface, provides an evenly distributed hydrophilic coating on the surface of the cornea. The conjunctival goblet cells1 and corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells continually secrete mucin over the corneal surface. When the outer epithelial layer becomes damaged, the epithelial cells below can produce mucin.2,3 A recent theory is that the secretion of mucin may serve as a method of treating dry eye.
Published Version
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