The cornea is the only complete transparent tissue of the human body. This immune privileged tissue consists the densest sensory nerve plexus of all organs. Because of its transparency, immune privilege, and easy accessibility, it is the first area to be examined in the diagnosis of ocular diseases. In addition to these features, it is the only tissue by which we can examine the peripheral nerve structure and immune cells in a living human being. On the other hand, the cornea is one of the most vulnerable tissues to physical, chemical, and metabolic damages because of its unique features. Unfortunately, most corneal diseases cannot be modeled in in vitro, in vivo, or clinical settings because of various technical limitations to mimicing ocular surface conditions. Dry eye disease, keratoconus, keratitis, corneal dystrophies, and other various corneal diseases are still without definitive cure. The goal of this collection is creating a novel library for current translational experimental methods to investigate corneal diseases. The scope of this collection includes:

(a) in vitro cell culture models for corneal and ocular surface diseases,

(b) ex vivo tissue models to investigate physical features of the cornea and the effects of corneal diseases,

(c) in vivo experimental models to mimic corneal diseases in various animals, and

(d) novel clinical diagnostic tools and methods to investigate the pathophysiology of ocular surface diseases.

Through this collection, we will spread novel methods and models to scientific society at large and will move forward with the diagnosis and treatment of corneal diseases.