Generic placeholder image

Current Drug Therapy

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1574-8855
ISSN (Online): 2212-3903

Mini-Review Article

Ocular Drug Delivery of Nanoparticles for Glaucoma

Author(s): Aastha Dangwal*, Vikas Bhatt and Shiv Kumar Gupta

Volume 20, Issue 3, 2025

Published on: 19 February, 2024

Page: [249 - 254] Pages: 6

DOI: 10.2174/0115748855278863240130074330

Price: $65

Abstract

The nasolacrimal channels drain the medication from the pre-corneal area, causing the majority of the ophthalmic medication to be quickly removed following topical instillation. Over the past thirty years, newer medical techniques, such as in situ gel, nanoparticle, liposome, nanosuspension, microemulsion, iontophoresis, and occuserts have been created in an effort to overcome these challenges. These methods gradually and deliberately boost the drug's bioavailability. This article discusses ocular drug delivery for ophthalmics and its ideal characteristics, and also provides an insight on the use of nanotechnology in the form of nanoparticles used for the treatment of glaucoma in the eyes, employing HPH, ultrasonication/HSH, SE, SED technique, SFM, ME technique, SD method, DE method, PM, FUD, and other techniques to offer continuous and controlled IOP inside the eye chamber, make drug more ocularly bioavailable, and address a few pharmacological difficulties in ophthalmology. The creation of new drug delivery methods is currently gaining popularity, and this can facilitate the development of medicines for diseases that endanger eyesight.

Keywords: Intraocular pressure, high-pressure homogenization, angle-closure glaucoma, open-angle glaucoma, solid lipid nanoparticles, high-speed homogenization.

Next »
Graphical Abstract
[1]
Zimmerman TJ. Topical ophthalmic beta blockers: A comparative review. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther 1993; 9(4): 373-84.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jop.1993.9.373] [PMID: 7906296]
[2]
Shivhare R, Pathak A, Shrivastava N, Singh C, Tiwari G, Goyal R. An update review on novel advanced ocular drug delivery system. World J Pharm Pharm Sci 2012; 1(2): 545-68.
[3]
Jayanetti V, Sandhu S, Lusthaus JA. The latest drugs in development that reduce intraocular pressure in ocular hypertension and glaucoma. J Exp Pharmacol 2020; 12: 539-48.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JEP.S281187] [PMID: 33244278]
[4]
Alward WLM, Alward WLM. Medical management of glaucoma. N Engl J Med 1998; 339(18): 1298-307.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199810293391808] [PMID: 9791148]
[5]
Patil PR, Shivsharan KJ, Salve VK, Shaikh SS. Improvements in opthalmic drug delivery system: A review. Int J Pharm Res Dev 2014; 6(02): 100-10.
[6]
Vyas SP, Roop K. Controlled drug delivery concepts and advances. Vallabh Prakashan 2005; pp. 75-80.
[7]
Jain NK. Controlled and Novel Drug Delivery. CBS Publisher and Distributors 2004; pp. 85-95.
[8]
Hill JM, O’Callaghan RJ, Hobden JA. Ocular iontophoresis. In: Mitra AK, Ed. Ophthalmic drug delivery systems. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc 1993; pp. 331-54.
[9]
Davson H. The eye. (3rd ed.). Orlando: Academic press 1984; pp. 1-64.
[10]
Irsch K, Guyton DL. Anatomy of Eyes. In: Encyclopedia of Biometrics. 2009. 1.11A: pp. 11-6.
[11]
Davson H. Physiology of the Eye. Bloomsbury Publishing. 1990; p. 5.
[12]
Yavuz B, Kompella UB. Ocular drug delivery.In: Pharmacologic therapy of ocular disease. 2017; 3-30: pp. 57-64.
[13]
Tangri P, Khurana S. Basics of ocular drug delivery systems. Int J Res Pharm Biomed Sci 2011; 2(4): 1541-52.
[14]
Ahmed I. Ophthalmic drug delivery systems. CRC Press 2003; pp. 356-85.
[15]
Yavuz B, Kompella UB. Ocular Drug Delivery. Pharmacologic Therapy of Ocular Disease. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2016; 66-93.
[16]
Raghava S, Hammond M, Kompella UB. Periocular routes for retinal drug delivery. Expert Opin Drug Deliv 2004; 1(1): 99-114.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1517/17425247.1.1.99] [PMID: 16296723]
[17]
Geroski DH, Edelhauser HF. Drug delivery for posterior segment eye disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2000; 41(5): 961-4.
[PMID: 10752928]
[18]
Myles M, Neumann D, Hill J. Recent progress in ocular drug delivery for posterior segment disease: Emphasis on transscleral iontophoresis. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2005; 57(14): 2063-79.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2005.08.006] [PMID: 16310884]
[19]
Lang JC. Ocular drug delivery conventional ocular formulations. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 1995; 16(1): 39-43.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-409X(95)00012-V]
[20]
Hughes P, Olejnik O, Changlin J, Wilson C. Topical and systemic drug delivery to the posterior segments. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2005; 57(14): 2010-32.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2005.09.004] [PMID: 16289435]
[21]
Järvinen K, Järvinen T, Urtti A. Ocular absorption following topical delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 1995; 16(1): 3-19.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-409X(95)00010-5]
[22]
Urtti A, Salminen L. Minimizing systemic absorption of topically administered ophthalmic drugs. Surv Ophthalmol 1993; 37(6): 435-56.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0039-6257(93)90141-S] [PMID: 8100087]
[23]
Barar J, Javadzadeh AR, Omidi Y. Ocular novel drug delivery: Impacts of membranes and barriers. Expert Opin Drug Deliv 2008; 5(5): 567-81.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1517/17425247.5.5.567] [PMID: 18491982]
[24]
Cunha-Vaz J. The blood-ocular barriers. Surv Ophthalmol 1979; 23(5): 279-96.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0039-6257(79)90158-9] [PMID: 380030]
[25]
Fischbarg J. The corneal endothelium. In: the biology of eye. New York, NY, USA: Academic Press 2006; pp. 113-25.
[26]
Ahmed I, Patton TF. Importance of the noncorneal absorption route in topical ophthalmic drug delivery. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1985; 26(4): 584-7.
[PMID: 3884542]
[27]
Prausnitz MR, Noonan JS. Permeability of cornea, sclera, and conjunctiva: A literature analysis for drug delivery to the eye. J Pharm Sci 1998; 87(12): 1479-88.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/js9802594] [PMID: 10189253]
[28]
Edwards A, Prausnitz MR. Fiber matrix model of sclera and corneal stroma for drug delivery to the eye. AIChE J 1998; 44(1): 214-25.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aic.690440123]
[29]
Wang W, Sasaki H, Chien DS, Lee VHL. Lipophilicity influence on conjunctival drug penetration in the pigmented rabbit: A comparison with corneal penetration. Curr Eye Res 1991; 10(6): 571-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02713689109001766] [PMID: 1680041]
[30]
Huang HS, Schoenwald RD, Lach JL. Corneal penetration behavior of beta-blockers. J Pharm Sci 1983; 72: 1272-9.
[PMID: 6139472]
[31]
Huang H-S, Schoenwald RD. Corneal penetration behavior of beta-blocking agents I: Physiochemical factors. J Pharm Sci 1983; 72(11): 1266-72.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jps.2600721108] [PMID: 6139471]
[32]
Pitka¨nen L, Ranta VP, Moilanen H, Urtti A. Permeability of retinal pigment epithelium: Effects of permeant molecular weight and lipophilicity. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2005; 46(2): 641-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/iovs.04-1051] [PMID: 15671294]
[33]
Kaur IP, Smitha R. Penetration enhancers and ocular bioadhesives: Two new avenues for ophthalmic drug delivery. Drug Dev Ind Pharm 2002; 28(4): 353-69.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1081/DDC-120002997] [PMID: 12056529]
[34]
Lee VHL. Mechanisms and facilitation of corneal drug penetration. J Control Release 1990; 11(1-3): 79-90.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0168-3659(90)90122-A]
[35]
Parikh CH, Edelhauser HF. Ocular surgical pharmacology: Corneal endothelial safety and toxicity. Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2003; 14(4): 178-85.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00055735-200308000-00002] [PMID: 12888714]
[36]
Watsky MA, Jablonski MM, Edelhauser HF. Comparison of conjunctival and corneal surface areas in rabbit and human. Curr Eye Res 1988; 7(5): 483-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02713688809031801] [PMID: 3409715]
[37]
Singh D. Conjunctival lymphatic system. J Cataract Refract Surg 2003; 29(4): 632-3.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0886-3350(03)00161-5] [PMID: 12686215]
[38]
Lee VHL, Robinson JR. Topical ocular drug delivery: Recent developments and future challenges. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther 1986; 2(1): 67-108.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jop.1986.2.67] [PMID: 3332284]
[39]
Sasaki H, Yamamura K, Nishida K, Nakamura J, Ichikawa M. Delivery of drugs to the eye by topical application. Prog Retin Eye Res 1996; 15(2): 583-620.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/1350-9462(96)00014-6]
[40]
Subrizi A, del Amo EM, Korzhikov-Vlakh V, Tennikova T, Ruponen M, Urtti A. Design principles of ocular drug delivery systems: Importance of drug payload, release rate, and material properties. Drug Discov Today 2019; 24(8): 1446-57.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2019.02.001] [PMID: 30738982]
[41]
Fischbarg J. On the mechanism of fluid transport across corneal endothelium and epithelia in general. J Exp Zoolog A Comp Exp Biol 2003; 300A(1): 30-40.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.a.10306] [PMID: 14598383]
[42]
Doane MG, Jensen AD, Dohlman CH. Penetration routes of topically applied eye medications. Am J Ophthalmol 1978; 85(3): 383-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9394(14)77735-9] [PMID: 655217]
[43]
Huang AJ, Tseng SC, Kenyon KR. Paracellular permeability of corneal and conjunctival epithelia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1989; 30(4): 684-9.
[PMID: 2703309]
[44]
Vyas SP, Khar RK. Controlled drug delivery: Concepts and advances. (1st ed.). Delhi: Vallabh Prakashan 2002; p. 392.
[45]
Gaudana R, Jwala J, Boddu HS, Mitra AK. Recent perspectives in ocular drug delivery. Pharm Res 2008; 26(5): 1197-216.
[PMID: 18758924]
[46]
Kuno N, Fujii S. Recent advances in ocular drug delivery systems. Polymers 2011; 3(1): 193-221.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym3010193]
[47]
Keister JC, Cooper ER, Missel PJ, Lang JC, Hager DF. Limits on optimizing ocular drug delivery. J Pharm Sci 1991; 80(1): 50-3.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jps.2600800113] [PMID: 2013850]
[48]
Fielder A, Blencowe H, O’Connor A, Gilbert C. Impact of retinopathy of prematurity on ocular structures and visual functions. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2015; 100(2): F179-84.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2014-306207] [PMID: 25336678]
[49]
Rao NA, Thaete LG, Delmage JM, Sevanian A. Superoxide dismutase in ocular structures. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1985; 26(12): 1778-81.
[PMID: 4066214]
[50]
Gupta D, Chen PP. Glaucoma. Am Fam Physician 2016; 93(8): 668-74.
[PMID: 27175839]
[51]
McMonnies CW. Glaucoma history and risk factors. J Optom 2017; 10(2): 71-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optom.2016.02.003] [PMID: 27025415]
[52]
Quigley HA. Number of people with glaucoma worldwide. Br J Ophthalmol 1996; 80(5): 389-93.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjo.80.5.389] [PMID: 8695555]
[53]
Weinreb RN, Aung T, Medeiros FA. The pathophysiology and treatment of glaucoma: A review. JAMA 2014; 311(18): 1901-11.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.3192] [PMID: 24825645]
[54]
Leske MC. Factors for glaucoma progression and the effect of treatment. Arch Ophthalmol 2003; 121(1): 48-56.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archopht.121.1.48] [PMID: 12523884]
[55]
Bengtsson B. The prevalence of glaucoma. Br J Ophthalmol 1981; 65: 46-9.
[56]
Flack JM, Novikov SV, Ferrario CM. Benefits of adherence to anti-hypertensive drug therapy. Eur Heart J 1996; 17: 16-20.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/17.suppl_A.16]
[57]
Cockcroft J. Nebivolol: A review. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2004; 5(4): 893-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1517/14656566.5.4.893] [PMID: 15102571]
[58]
Münzel T, Gori T. Nebivolol. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009; 54(16): 1491-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2009.05.066] [PMID: 19815121]
[59]
Jain NK. Pharm Nanotechnol 2008; 13.
[60]
Sahoo KS. Nanotechnology in ocular drug delivery. Drug Discov Today 2008; 13: 144-51.
[61]
Koo OM, Rubinstein I, Onyuksel H. Role of nanotechnology in targeted drug delivery and imaging: A concise review. Nanomedicine 2005; 1(3): 193-212.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2005.06.004] [PMID: 17292079]
[62]
Lin W. Introduction: Nanoparticles in medicine. Chem Rev 2015; 115(19): 10407-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00534] [PMID: 26463639]
[63]
Amrite AC, Kompella UB. Size-dependent disposition of nanoparticles and microparticles following subconjunctival administration. J Pharm Pharmacol 2010; 57(12): 1555-63.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1211/jpp.57.12.0005] [PMID: 16354399]
[64]
Wilczewska AZ, Niemirowicz K, Markiewicz KH, Car H. Nanoparticles as drug delivery systems. Pharmacol Rep 2012; 64(5): 1020-37.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1734-1140(12)70901-5] [PMID: 23238461]
[65]
Yadav N, Khatak S, Sara US. Solid lipid nanoparticles-a review. Int J Appl Pharm 2013; 5(2): 8-18.
[66]
Arruebo M, Fernández-Pacheco R, Ibarra MR, Santamaría J. Magnetic nanoparticles for drug delivery. Nano Today 2007; 2(3): 22-32.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1748-0132(07)70084-1]
[67]
Loxley A. Solid lipid nanoparticles for the delivery of pharmaceutical actives. Drug Deliv Technol 2009; 9(8): 32.
[68]
Mishra B, Patel BB, Tiwari S. Colloidal nanocarriers: A review on formulation technology, types and applications toward targeted drug delivery. Nanomedicine 2010; 6(1): 9-24.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2009.04.008] [PMID: 19447208]
[69]
Moisseiev E, Loewenstein A. Drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. Dev Ophthalmol 2017; 58: 87-101.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000455276] [PMID: 28351054]
[70]
Schoenwald RD. Ocular pharmacokinetics. In: Zimmerman TJ, Ed. Textbook of Ocular Pharmacology. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Lippincott-Raven 1997; pp. 119-38.
[71]
Nayak K, Misra M. A review on recent drug delivery systems for posterior segment of eye. Biomed Pharmacother 2018; 107: 1564-82.
[72]
Thrimawithana TR, Young S, Bunt CR, Green C, Alany RG. Drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. Drug Discov Today 2011; 16(5-6): 270-7.
[73]
Urtti A. Challenges and obstacles of ocular pharmacokinetics and drug delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2006; 58(11): 1131-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2006.07.027] [PMID: 17097758]

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2026 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy