Radiation-induced apoptosis in the eye structures: a review

Apoptosis plays a crucial role in tissue homeostasis and in the removal of damaged cells from tissues. Both increased and insufficient cell death can lead to human diseases. Apoptotic process is under the control of physiological metabolism as well as a panel of genes. After exposure to radiation, membrane damages induce the membrane pathway signal transduction for cell apoptosis. The importance of the radiation-induced apoptosis in the different ocular tissues and its relationship to the radiation parameters are reviewed in this article. This topic of ocular research has not been addressed in detail in the literature.