Thecorneahasuniquefeaturesthatmakeitausefulmodelforregenerativemedicinestudies.Itisanavascular,transparent,denselyinnervatedtissueandanypathologicalchangescanbeeasilydetectedbyslitlampexamination.Cornealsensitivityisprovidedbytheophthalmicbranchofthetrigeminalnervethatelicitsprotectivereflexessuchasblinkingandtearingandexertstrophicsupportbyreleasingneuromediatorsandgrowthfactors.Cornealnervesareeasilyevaluatedforbothfunctionandmorphologyusingstandardinstrumentssuchascornealesthesiometerandinvivoconfocalmicroscope.Alllocalandsystemicconditionsthatareassociatedwithdamageofthetrigeminalnervecausethedevelopmentofneurotrophickeratitis,araredegenerativedisease.Neurotrophickeratitisischaracterizedbyimpairmentofcornealsensitivityassociatedwithdevelopmentofpersistentepithelialdefectsthatmayprogresstocornealulcer,meltingandperforation.Currentneurotrophickeratitistreatmentsaimatsupportingcornealhealingandpreventingprogressionofcornealdamage.Novelcompoundsabletostimulatecornealnerverecoveryareinadvanceddevelopmentstage.Amongthem,nervegrowthfactoreyedropsshowedtobesafeandeffectiveinstimulatingcornealhealingandimprovingcornealsensitivityinpatientswithneurotrophickeratitis.Neurotrophickeratitisrepresentsanusefulmodeltoevaluateinclinicalpracticenovelneuro-regenerativedrugs.
