Ocular Drug Delivery System-A Review Based on Ocuserts

The field of Ocular drug delivery is one of the interesting and challenging endeavors facing the pharmaceutical scientist. The most frequently used dosage forms i.e. ophthalmic solutions and suspensions are compromised in their effectiveness by several limitations, leading to poor ocular bioavailability. In ocular inserts the films are directly applied in the cul-de-sac, improving ocular bioavailability by increasing the duration of contact with corneal tissue, thereby reducing the frequency of administration. Ocular inserts are defined as preparations with a solid or semisolid consistency, whose size and shape are especially designed for ophthalmic application (i.e., rods or shields). Ocular diseases require localized administration of drugs to the tissues around the ocular cavity. In the recent years, there has been explosion of interest in the polymer based delivery devices. Utilization of the principles of controlled release as embodied by ocular inserts offers an attractive approach to the problem of prolonging pre-corneal drug residence times. In the present update, the authors discuss the basic concept of ocular inserts as drug delivery system and examine the few inserts, which are available in the market or are being developed by pharmaceutical companies for drug delivery. The article discusses about the various structures of the eye, its anatomy with the various diagrams of it. This article further states the classification and the various mechanisms of drug diffusion into an eye with special attention to biological/clinical performances, and potential for future applications and developments.