Current Progress in the Treatment of Cornea and Ocular Surface Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Afflictions concerning the ocular surface and cornea encompass a variety of conditions, the underlying causes of which can be multifaceted. In addition to dry eye disease, which may be classified as primary or secondary, such as in cases of Sjögren's syndrome, there are other conditions to consider, including infectious processes that, if not promptly recognized and treated, can have harmful effects on the ocular surface. Ocular infectious diseases are among the leading causes of corneal blindness, and their management, both medical and surgical, continues to represent a serious challenge. Furthermore, immunological triggers affecting the ocular surface and cornea warrant attention, such as ocular graft-versus-host disease. Moreover, the deleterious impact of conditions such as ocular pemphigoid on the ocular surface should not be overlooked. A significant area of interest is limbal stem cell deficiency, whether primary or secondary, alongside various surgical approaches to limbal transplantation, addressing both unilateral and bilateral deficiencies. Given its global incidence of 12%, the management and treatment of pterygium are also of paramount importance. It is characterized by the degeneration and hypertrophy of the bulbar conjunctiva and subconjunctival tissue, extending into the cornea. This progression affects esthetic appearance and corneal morphology, increases wavefront aberrations, induces irregular astigmatism, and reduces visual quality. The early diagnosis and effective management of conditions related to ocular surface disease require a high level of expertise and the use of novel tools and often present significant challenges and dilemmas for clinicians. Additionally, the latest management and treatment strategies in corneal dystrophies deserve considerable attention as they can significantly affect the quality of vision and quality of life for patients. Surgical interventions such as corneal cross-linking, amniotic membrane transplantation, corneal neurotization, and different types of keratoplasty are often required. Notably, ongoing advancements in lamellar corneal transplantation, including artificial endothelial corneal transplantation, represent a significant development. This is the first and currently only certified synthetic implant designed to treat corneal edema and restore visual function.

This Special Issue will gather original research, both experimental and clinical, focusing on novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to disorders associated with ocular surface diseases and corneal pathologies, thereby advancing our understanding in this domain. We particularly encourage submissions that introduce innovative diagnostic methodologies, treatment strategies, and surgical techniques, with the objectives of enhancing diagnostic accuracy and optimizing therapeutic outcomes. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and prospective/retrospective studies.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Marco Messina
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Giannaccare
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• dry eye disease
• meibomian gland dysfunction
• microbial keratitis
• auto-immune keratitis
• peripheral ulcerative keratitis
• neurotrophic keratopathy
• corneal dystrophies
• corneal degenerations
• mucous membrane pemphigoid
• ocular cicatricial disease
• Stevens–Johnson syndrome
• pterygium
• ocular graft-versus-host disease
• limbal stem cell deficiency
• keratoplasty
• amniotic membrane transplantation
• keratoconus
• corneal collagen cross-linking
• antimicrobial therapy
• corneal neurotization
• vernal keratoconjunctivitis
• atopic keratoconjunctivitis