Transport of therapeutic agents into the anterior segment of the eye is highly
restricted by various anatomical and physiological barriers. Topical administration is
the most convenient method of drug delivery for the treatment of anterior segment eye
diseases. The global market for eye care products is approximately $12.5 billion and is
growing at a rate of 9% every year. Eye drops account for 90% of all conventional
ophthalmic formulations. However, it suffers from several disadvantages such as
nasolacrimal drainage, loss in conjunctival blood circulation, tear dilution, normal tear
drainage and reflux blinking. There is a need for alternate drug delivery systems which
can address poor ocular absorption associated with conventional drug delivery systems.
In this chapter, we have made an attempt to briefly describe various drug delivery
systems employed in the treatment of anterior segment eye diseases such as
nanoemulsions, collagen corneal shields, hydrogels, vesicular systems (liposomes and
niosomes), iontophoresis, phonophoresis, punctal plugs and contact lenses.
Keywords: Eye, anterior segment, novel systems, drug delivery, nanoemulsions,
collagen corneal shields, hydrogels, vesicular systems, iontophoresis,
phonophoresis, punctal plugs, contact lenses.
