Ocular parasites cause serious vision-threatening diseases. An early
diagnosis and effective treatment are crucial to avoid side effects, such as blindness or
eye removal. The first important step in diagnosing ocular parasite infections is to
suspect them. Diagnosis is aided by ophthalmic examination, direct parasite
identification in clinical samples and/or pathological lesions, immunoassays, and
molecular methods. Despite this, ocular parasite infection diagnosis is fraught with
difficulties in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The usage of nanoparticles
may improve diagnosis by providing precise procedures for parasitic DNA, antigens,
and antibodies detection in a variety of body specimens with fast, sensitive, and
specific results. Low tolerability, long therapeutic duration, multiple adverse effects,
and the emergence of medication resistance are all problems with existing anti-parasitic
medications. Nanoparticles represent a promising way for the successful treatment of
parasitic diseases by developing innovative drug carriers to target medications to
infected sites while limiting high doses and adverse effects. They can also overcome
the limitations of antiparasitic medications' low bioavailability, poor cellular
permeability, non-specific distribution, and fast elimination from the body. The aim of
the present chapter is to throw light on possible nanotechnology applications in ocular
parasitic diseases caused by Toxoplasma gondii, Acanthamoeba spp. and Toxocara spp.
with a focus on diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination.
Keywords: Acanthamoeba spp., Diagnosis, Eye infection, Nanotechnology, Toxocara Spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Treatment, Vaccination.
