The Potentials and Challenges of Hydrogels for Ocular Therapy

Abstract

The major objective of any pharmacotherapeutic activity is to achieve an effective concentration of drug at a particular site of action for a sufficient period of time to produce a desired response or effect. The eye is a very important organ of the body because of its use in vision as well as its easy accessibility. Though solution-type drug delivery to the eye records high patient adherence but it is limited by poor ocular bioavailability due to certain pre-corneal physiological and anatomical obstacles. Hydrogels are important self-assembly nanoformulations that serve as alternatives to solution-type eye preparations with good potential to produce enhanced local absorption and bioavailability in the treatment of eye disorders that may be vision-threatening. This chapter will present an overview of the eye anatomy, ocular barriers, hydrogels and their classes, applications in ocular diseases, and future prospects of hydrogels in ophthalmic therapeutics.