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Ocular immunology: an overview of immune mechanisms operating in the eye

Published on November 28, 2024   26 min

Other Talks in the Series: The Immune System - Key Concepts and Questions

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My name is Eleftherios Agorogiannis. I am an ophthalmologist specializing in ocular inflammatory diseases and I'm based in Manchester UK. The aim of this lecture is to provide a summary of the specialized immune strategies that the eye has developed in order to protect against pathogens and other insults and maintain tissue homeostasis.
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Before discussing the specific immune mechanisms of the eye, it is important to consider an overarching view of immune responses across different organs. When any tissue is being threatened by an insult, in this figure, an infectious agent, a first line of immune defense relies on responsive innate factors like macrophages, polymorphonuclear cells, and complement molecules. At the same time professional tissue resident antigen presenting cells travel to the regional secondary lymphoid organs where they activate antigen specific lymphocytes like T- cells. These adaptive effectors migrate to the affected tissue and confer antigen specificity to the inflammatory response already induced. A productive immune response would be expected to clear the offensive agent and start the process of tissue repair. However, failure to do so can lead to tissue destruction. It is essential that the immune system mounts appropriate and proportionate responses which are able to eradicate the threats while avoiding collateral damage. Inadequate immune responses allow persistence of noxious stimuli and can lead to chronic inflammation. On the other hand, excessive inflammatory responses can lead to tissue destruction and prevent anatomical and functional recovery. When considering immunity in the eye,

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Ocular immunology: an overview of immune mechanisms operating in the eye

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