The Bombay Technologist

Recent Advances in Drug Delivery to Posterior Eye

Omkar Kulkarni

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology

Harsh Priya

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology

Keywords: Posterior Eye, Nanotechnology, Hydrogel Lens, Implant.

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Abstract

Posterior eye segment diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinoblastoma, macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion, retinitis, etc. cause vision impairment and blindness to millions of people. Treatment and management of such diseases requires availability of therapeutic concentration in the posterior segment. However, anatomy and physiology of ocular barriers prevent efficient drug delivery to the posterior segment. The design of a drug-delivery system targeting the posterior segment is a challenging ophthalmological task. This review describes the recent progress of more efficient drug delivery technologies. Drug delivery systems that provide optimal pharmacokinetics, optimum dose intervals and significantly less invasive routes of administration are being produced. Solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, submicron sized lipid emulsions and other colloidal nanoparticle carriers appear to be useful for enhancing the ocular absorption of drugs and for providing selective and prolonged drug concentration in the eye after topical instillation. In addition to this, Periocular drug delivery devices such as hydrogel contact lenses, implants that can deliver controlled and continuous biologics directly to the back of the eye and microneedles for targeted drug administration are being tested.