[Molecular aspects of corneal neovascularization]

In this article, we try to describe the fundamentals of the molecular mechanisms implicated in the corneal neovascularization. Corneal avascularity is maintained by a subtle balance between the constant and active production of proangiogenic and angiostatic factors. At present, the prospect of clinical and therapeutic application of this knowledge seems to be distant, but some of the recent studies investigating the already known substances instill optimism. This work is based on data from the recently published reports on the corneal angiogenesis in its complexity.