Nanotechnological interventions for drug delivery in eye diseases

Abstract

Ocular diseases including various anterior and posterior segment diseases are considered as the major cause of blindness all over the world. However, efficient delivery of ocular drugs is always a great challenge to researchers and ophthalmologists due to the complex structure and physiology of the eye. The conventional treatment strategies comprising eye drops, injections, and implants may be insufficient in some cases and have severe side effects and/or low bioavailability. In this context, nanotechnology as novel and emerging technology can play important role in development of potential and highly specific strategies for ocular disease treatments. Different nanomaterials-based drug delivery will be useful in overcoming the ocular barriers and control release of drugs. In this chapter, we have discussed various anterior and posterior segment diseases of eye and also focused on the recent advancement in nanomaterial-based systems for efficient drug delivery in various ocular diseases.