Since the first volume was published, significant advances have been made in corneal molecular and cellular biology and in the physiology of various corneal disorders, their healing processes and optimal management. Two papers deserve special attention: one by Roger W. Beuerman on the interactions between the cornea and the lacrimal gland and the other by Yoshihide Tsujimoto on the molecular mechanism of cell death, focusing on the Bc1-2 and ICE family protease. The remaining papers deal with issues of neuroparalytic keratitis, corneal wound healing and SPARC, genetic influences, corneal transplantation, herpetic infections, the effect of metalloproteases on the corneal epithelium, IL-8 and RANTE5 generation from the corneal epithelium, all of which topics are at the forefront of development in their field.