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Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is a pathological process of angiogenesis that can cause severe corneal damage.CNV has been widely demonstrated to be closely related to corneal inflammation, mainly induced by the imbalance between pro-angiogenic factors and anti-angiogenic factors in the cornea.Studies have found that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a dual role in the formation of CNV.On the one hand, through the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), MMPs provide space for endothelial cells migration, and on the other hand, MMPs influence the process of CNV by regulating the balance between pro-angiogenic factors and anti-angiogenic factors.Among them, MMP-2 and MMP-9 are considered to be the broadly influential factors in the formation of CNV, and they regulate CNV through vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Shh, Notch, Thrombin, and PI3k/Akt signaling pathways.In this paper, recent advances in the research of MMP-2, MMP-9 and related factors in CNV regulation mechanism are reviewed.