The abnormality of corneal development leads to congenital corneal endothelial dystrophy,Peter abnormality,Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome and squamous cell epithelioma of ocular surface etc..The development of cornea experiences the different phases,such as induction,embryogenesis and maturation.In this procedure,cellular proliferation and differentiation are tightly regulated by signaling cascades.Some members of these signaling cascades have been identified in recent studies.By using embryo tissue and genetic manipulation techniques in the study of corneal development researchers reveal that a number of transcription factors such as Pax6,Kruppellike factor (KLF6),transforming growth factor β (TGF-β),TGF-α are expressed,and they play major roles in different stages of cornea development.This review summarizes the recent researching progress in the study of transduction pathway and factors during the development of the cornea.