It is well known that the eye is one of the most complex organs of the human
body. The anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry of the eye render this organ highly
impervious to foreign substances. A permanent challenge for the scientific world is to
develop formulations able to circumvent the protective barriers of the eye without causing
any permanent tissue damage. For drug delivery at ocular level, the physiological barriers
imposed by the protective mechanisms of the eye generally lead to poor absorption of
drugs, many times small fractions of the administered dose penetrate the cornea reaching
the intraocular tissues. This is the reason for which there is a continuous concern on the
development of more sensitive diagnostic techniques and novel therapeutic formulations
with higher and higher therapeutic efficacy and with a better compliance for the patient.
One of the major objectives of clinical therapeutics is to ensure and maintain an adequate
concentration of drugs at the site of action. Lately, it seems that the researchers’ attention is
focused on the different types of nanocarriers: polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, metallic
or ceramic nanoparticles, dendrimers, niosomes, etc, each of them with properties which
make them suitable for a specific application. In this chapter, the applications of
nanosystems in controlled drug delivery, in gene therapy, ocular tissue replacement and
“smart” applications in eye pathology are detailed. Recent studies of researchers from
different laboratories are brought together to underline the complexity and the importance
of the nanoophthalmology for the human health.
Keywords: Ocular disease, controlled drug delivery, nanotechnology, ocular
infections, neovascularisation, anti-inflammatory drugs, age related macular
degeneration, glaucoma, drug loaded liposomes, nanoparticles, nano polymeric micelles, nanostructured lipid carriers, ocular gene therapy, ocular tissue
replacement therapies, smart ocular nanomaterials, vascular endothelial growth
factor, corneal transplantation, stealth nanoparticles, artificial cornea.