Research advances in pathogenic mechanisms underlying air pollution-induced ocular surface diseases

BACKGROUND: The harmful effect of aerial fine particulate matter（PM(2.5)）has been a serious public health issue and has attracted worldwide attention, especially in developing countries. MAIN TEXT: Numerous previous clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that PM(2.5) has a clear pathogenic effect on diseases related to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Recent researches have pointed out that PM(2.5) plays a pivotal role in the occurrence and progression of ocular surface diseases. The current studies have shown that PM(2.5) may promote the appearance of conjunctivitis, keratitis, blepharitis, dry eye, meibomian gland dysfunction（MGD） and other ocular surface diseases through regulating a series of mechanisms such as inflammation, immune reaction, oxidative stress, autophagy, cell migration, and epigenetics. CONCLUSIONS: This review aims to summarize the current research progress on the pathogenic mechanism of PM(2.5)-related ocular surface diseases.