Molecular Insights into Ocular Exposure Risk of Indoor Smoke Components on the Tear Film

< 1 spontaneously nucleate into tighter and H-bond-rich agglomerates that exhibit 3-4 orders of magnitude higher trans-TFLL permeability than their hydrophobic counterparts. Polar agglomerates locally fluidize the wax-ester matrix, nucleating hydrophilic nanodomains that boost water-evaporation flux. Upon reaching the polar interface, carbonyl- and hydroxyl-bearing species form lipid-headgroup chelates to reduce film compressibility by 0.13-0.26 m/mN, accelerating mechanical rupture. Based on these findings, we propose a three-variable phase diagram that predicts whether a given smoke component will (i) penetrate TFLL, (ii) induce antievaporation loss, and/or (iii) accelerate film rupture. The work translates chemical concentration into trans-TFLL flux, identifies polar cooking and biomass markers as the highest ocular-bioavailable fraction, and provides quantitative thresholds for "ocular hazard" classification. These data complement respiratory-centric risk models and inform the rational design of pollutant-scavenging artificial tears.