Research progress of dry eye secondary to chronic graft-versus-host disease

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is currently an important method for the treatment of malignant or severe conditions of hematogenous disorders.Chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) after allogeneic HSCT is the main factor affecting recipient lifespan and life-quality.Dry eye is the common ocular manifestation of cGVHD, of which the mechanism is not well-defined and the uniform diagnostic criteria as well as treatment strategies are still lacking.Here, we summarized the updates of the mechanism of dry eye secondary to cGVHD with respects of the imbalance in immunocytes, cytokines as well as the morphological and functional damages of ocular surface, and elaborated its clinical features, diagnostic criteria, and current emerging systemic and local treatments. Key words: Dry eye; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Graft versus host disease