Recent studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress is involved in pathogenesis of dry
eye disease. Higher levels of ROS, lipid oxidative stress markers and inflammatory cells were
found in the conjunctiva and tear film of Sjögren syndrome patients [21] and different dry eye
animal models [13,14,22,23]. However, few studies have comprehensively investigated the relationship
between hyperosmolarity and oxidative damage in human ocular surface. The present
study was to explore whether and how hyperosmolarity induces oxidative injury to ocular surface
epithelium using an in vitro primary HCEC culture model.