Age-related ocular surface failure: A narrative review.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Ophthalmology

Background:

• Aging is a complex process involving environmental interactions and plasticity.
• The precise physiological mechanisms of aging remain incompletely understood.
• Current theories include programmed cell death, genetic mutations, epigenetic clock, wear-and-tear, and free radicals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the impact of aging on the ocular surface.
• To understand the mechanisms of age-related ocular surface dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing theories on aging.
• Analysis of the ocular surface as a complex functional unit.
• Investigation of inflammaging and immunosenescence in the aging eye.

Main Results:

• Aging significantly disrupts the ocular surface's homeostasis and function.
• Inflammaging and immunosenescence are key contributors to age-related ocular surface changes.
• Older populations are susceptible to ocular surface failure due to these aging processes.

Conclusions:

• Aging profoundly affects the ocular surface through inflammatory and immune system decline.
• These age-related changes can lead to significant ocular surface problems in the elderly.
• Further research is needed to fully elucidate the aging process in the eye.