Microneedle mediated approaches in Ocular drug delivery

Abstract

The delivery of specific drugs to the desired site of action to the eye remain a major challenge in treating the chronic diseases of the eye. Due to inadequate quantity of drugs being delivered to the diseased site, the chronic eye disease management becomes a challenge and is a reason for vision impairment in a lot of patients worldwide. In current practice, the treatment is usually done by the conventional forms of treatment e.g., topical formulations which have a low bioavailability, permeation, diffusion rate and causes irritation, inflammation, toxicity etc. The chronic eye conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion needs a consistent form of treatment which is effective and have a high patient compliance. This reviews the feasibility of microneedles in the ocular drug delivery and discusses the possibilities and challenges of its application to the eye.