Dry eye affects 14% to 33% of adult population worldwide. Dry eye is often accompanied by
increased tear osmolarity and ocular surface inflammation. Reduced aqueous tear flow and/or
increased evaporation of the aqueous tear phase often lead to tear hyperosmolarity, a key step
in the vicious circle of dry eye disease pathology in ocular surface epithelium [15]. Hyperosmolarity
has been considered as a key factor that initiates the ocular surface inflammation and apoptosis
in dry eye patients, dry eye mouse models, as well as in vitro hyperosmotic culture
models of human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) [15–20].
Recent studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress is involved