Copyright
©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Feb 15, 2026; 17(2): 114900
Published online Feb 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i2.114900
Published online Feb 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i2.114900
Corneal neuropathy: An overlooked biomarker for dry eye in type 2 diabetes
Marco Zeppieri, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, Udine 33100, Italy
Marco Zeppieri, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste 34129, Italy
Matteo Capobianco, Eye Clinic, Policlinico G. Rodolico, University of Catania, Catania 95121, Italy
Matteo Capobianco, Faculty of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy
Federico Visalli, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy
Marieme Khouyyi, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina 98121, Italy
Caterina Gagliano, Francesco Cappellani, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna “Kore”, Enna 94100, Italy
Caterina Gagliano, Francesco Cappellani, Eye Center, “G.B. Morgagni-DSV”, Catania 95125, Italy
Author contributions: Zeppieri M, Gagliano C, and Cappellani F wrote the outline; Zeppieri M, Capobianco M, and Cappellani F did the research and writing of the manuscript; Zeppieri M, Capobianco M, Visalli F, Khouyyi M, Gagliano C, and Cappellani F assisted in the writing of the paper, the editing and making critical revisions of the manuscript; Zeppieri M was responsible for the conception and design of the study and completed the English and scientific editing; and all authors provided the final approval of the article.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marco Zeppieri, MD, PhD, Consultant, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, p. le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, Udine 33100, Italy.
Received: October 9, 2025
Revised: November 25, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: February 15, 2026
Processing time: 128 Days and 21.9 Hours
Revised: November 25, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: February 15, 2026
Processing time: 128 Days and 21.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Dry eye disease in type 2 diabetes is not merely a surface ocular issue; it signifies underlying neurovascular and metabolic impairment. Han et al’s paper presents data correlating corneal nerve modifications with the severity of dry eye disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. Together with expanding findings on inflammatory biomarkers, immunological cross-talk, and global research trends, this body of evidence highlights the necessity to include ocular surface assessment into diabetes therapy. Future advancements will depend on precision medicine approaches, biomarker-directed screening, and medicines aimed at neuroinflammation and oxidative stress to maintain eyesight and enhance quality of life.