Corneal wetting

Corneal wetting is not a molecule, receptor, or canonical therapeutic target. Instead, it refers to the physiological process by which the corneal surface remains lubricated and protected through the action of the tear film. The tear film consists of multiple layers (lipid, aqueous/mucin) produced by various glands and cells in and around the eye. This system maintains ocular comfort, optical clarity, and protection against environmental insults[2][4][6]. Corneal wetting is essential for normal vision and eye health but does not represent a discrete molecular entity or druggable target; rather, it describes an emergent property resulting from complex interactions among mucins, lipids, proteins (such as growth factors), epithelial cell structures (like microvilli), neural reflexes (blinking), and glandular secretions[1][2][4]. Artificial tears are used therapeutically to supplement this process in dry eye disease but act as substitutes for natural lubrication rather than targeting a specific molecule or receptor involved in "corneal wetting"[8].

Lubrication of the ocular surface[8]