The most common disorders of the ocular surface are dry eye disease (DED) and ocular allergy (OA). These conditions are frequently coexisting with or without a clinical overlap and can cause a severe impact on the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between DED and OA because similar changes and manifestations may be present. Atopic patients can also develop DED, which can aggravate their manifestations. Moreover, patients with DED can develop ocular allergies, so these two pathological entities of the ocular surface can be considered as mutual conditions that share the same background. Nowadays, by using different techniques to collect tissue from ocular surfaces, the changes in molecular homeostasis can be detected and this can lead to a precise diagnosis. The article provides an up-to-date review of the various ocular surface biomarkers that have been identified in DED, OA, or both conditions.
Abbreviations:
DED = dry eye disease, OA = ocular allergy, SS = Sjogren syndrome, TBUT = tear break up time, TFO = tear film osmolarity, AKC = Atopic keratoconjunctivitis, ANXA1 = Annexin 1, ANXA11 = Annexin 11, CALT = Conjunctival associated lymphoid tissue, CCL2/MIP-1 = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand2/Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, CCL3/MIP-1α = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3/Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha, CCL4/MIP-1β = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 4/Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 beta, CCL5/RANTES = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 /Regulated on Activation, Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted, CCR2 = Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2, CCR5 = Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5, CD3+ = Cluster of differentiation 3 positive, CD4+ = Cluster of differentiation 4 positive, CD8+ = Cluster of differentiation 8 positive, CGRP = Calcitonin-gene-related peptide, CX3CL1 C-X3 = C motif -chemokine ligand 1 /Fractalkine, CXCL8 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8, CXCL9 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9, CXCL10 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10, CXCL11 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 11, CXCL12 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12, CXCR4 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4, EGF = Epidermal growth factor, HLA-DR = Human leukocyte antigen-D-related, ICAM-1 = Intercellular adhesion molecule 1, IFN-γ = Interferon-gamma, IgG = Immunoglobulin G, IgE = Immunoglobulin E, IL-1 = Interleukin-1, IL-1α = Interleukin-1 alpha, IL-1β = Interleukin-1 beta, CGRP = Calcitonin-Gene-Related Peptide, IL-3 = Interleukin-3, IL-4 = Interleukin-4, IL-6 = Interleukin-6, IL-8 = Interleukin-8, IL-10 = Interleukin-10, IL-17 = Interleukin-17, IL-17A = Interleukin-17A, LPRR3 = Lacrimal proline-rich protein 3, LPRR4 = Lacrimal proline-rich protein 4, MUC5AC = Mucin 5 subtype AC, oligomeric mucus/gel-forming, MUC16 = Mucin 16, OCT = Optical coherence tomography, OGVHD = Ocular graft versus host disease, PAX6 = Paired-box protein 6, VKC = Vernal keratoconjunctivitis, TGF-β = Transforming growth factor β, S100 = proteins Calcium activated signaling proteins, Th1 = T helper 1 cell, T...