Cytokine and chemokine levels in tears and in corneal fibroblast cultures before and after excimer laser treatment

In vivo and in vitro studies showed that after excimer laser treatment, cytokines are released to modulate the wound-healing process; however, they can potentially induce inflammation. However, these types of in vitro studies, although useful for evaluating changes in cytokine profiles before and after treatment, only partially reproduce in vivo corneal behavior.