[Pathology of the ocular surface].

The ocular surface is a new concept including the cornea, the conjunctiva, the lids and the lachrymal tear film in a new approach as an anatomic, physiologic and physiopathologic entity. The goal of the ocular surface, in a functional approach, is the maintenance of the corneal transparency. Ocular surface diseases are very frequent with numerous aspects and aetiologies and with no specificity for functional or clinical signs, particularly in chronical forms. Inflammation is most frequently associated in chronical diseases, subclinically as in keratoconjunctivitis sicca or, predominantly in allergy or immunologic dysfunction. Ocular surface is also involved in several kinds of subspecialties as iatrogenic toxicity, contactologia, and, on a surgical way, corneal refractive surgery, ocular surface reconstruction with graft and also filtering surgery for glaucoma.