Ocular Bioadhesives and Their Applications in Ophthalmic Drug Delivery

Abstract

Most ophthalmic illnesses are treated by topical administration of drug in the form of conventional dosage forms (solutions, suspensions, or ointments). In spite of remarkable patient compliance, these dosage forms suffer from the issues of poor ocular bioavailability due to pathophysiological barriers prevailing in the eye. In recent decades, numerous efforts have been made to advance ophthalmic drug delivery including the one adopted to prolong the residence time of drug in the con-junctival epithelium. The current approach is to develop biodegradable and bioadhe-sive ocular delivery systems that are capable of prolonging corneal residence time and sustaining the drug effect. The rate of release of drug from these ocular delivery systems is primarily governed by the molecular weight of the drug; mechanism of polymer degradation; shape, size, and surface charge of the polymeric architect; etc. The objective of this book chapter is to summarize various natural and synthetic ocular bioadhesives with their applications in the opthalmic drug delivery.