[Growth factors and cell cultures: a new approach for research in ophthalmology]

Tissue culture technology applied to ophtalmology has produced an extensive knowledge of ocular cell physiology. In this work, we review the various factors known to control proliferation and differentiation in lens epithelial cells and corneal endothelial cells. We discuss the role of a new ocular growth factor that we discovered in the retina and whose ubiquitous distribution suggests that it could be involved in tissue-tissue interactions.