Compared to the baseline infection, the no treatment group (n = 7) experienced a 2.2-fold increase in TNF-α expression (62.2 ± 27.6 pg/cornea, P = 0.019) and a 3.1-fold increase in IL-8 levels (606.7 ± 205.6 pg/cornea, p = 0.006). The gene discussed is CXCL8; the disease is infection.