In recent years, technological advances in sequencing have accelerated our understanding of epigenetics in ocular development and ophthalmic diseases. We now know that epigenetic modifications are necessary for normal ocular development and biological processes such as corneal wound healing and ocular surface repair, while aberrant epigenetic regulation underlies the pathogenesis of a wide range of ocular diseases, including cataracts and various diseases of the ocular surface. As the epigenetics of the eye is a constantly changing field of medicine, this comprehensive review focuses on innovations and scientific discoveries related to epigenetic control of anterior segment diseases that were published in the English literature in the past five years. These recent studies attempt to elucidate therapeutic targets for the anterior segment pathological processes. Already, recent studies have shown therapeutic potential in targeting epigenetic mechanisms of ocular diseases, and new epigenetic therapies are on the verge of being introduced to clinical practice. New drug targets can potentially emerge as we make further discoveries within this field.

近年来，测序技术的进步加快了我们对眼发育和眼科疾病表观遗传学的理解。我们现在知道表观遗传修饰对于正常的眼部发育和生物学过程（例如角膜伤口愈合和眼表修复）是必需的，而异常的表观遗传调控则是包括白内障和各种眼表疾病在内的各种眼疾的发病机制的基础。由于眼睛的表观遗传学是医学领域中一个不断变化的领域，因此本综述着眼于过去五年在英国文学中发表的与前节疾病表观遗传学控制相关的创新和科学发现。这些最近的研究试图阐明前节病理过程的治疗目标。最近的研究已经显示出靶向眼疾病的表观遗传机制的治疗潜力，并且新的表观遗传疗法即将被引入临床实践。随着我们在这一领域的进一步发现，可能会出现新的药物靶标。