[Cytokines in the tear fluid and their role in the pathogenesis of ophthalmic herpes].

The papers deals with the levels of cytokines in the tear and blood serum of patients with ophthalmoherpes. Damaging the cornea, herpes virus is shown to induce the synthesis of IL-1alpha, alpha-TNF, and alpha2-INF both in the tear and serum. The levels of these cytokines are much greater than the controls.