A Paradigm Shift InOcular Drug Delivery System: Review On Ocular Inserts For Treatment Of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is related to neurodegenerative disease associated with intraocular pressure within the eye. It leads to loss of vision and decreased contrast sensitivity gradually over time by damaging the optic nerve, which causes. Ocular inserts are sterile, thin, multi-layered delivering devices with biodegradable drug material, inserted into the lower eyelid which release the medication at sustained and increased contact time of medication into the eye may increase the bioavailability of medication. Eye drops require frequent medication administration and medication loss leads to less bioavailability but the ocular inserts improve the patient’s convenience by preventing the frequent administration of reduced dose dumping into the eye. It releases the medication by process of osmosis, diffusion, bioerosion, and sustained release into the eye to increase the bioavailability. Ocular inserts are classified based on their solubility profile are soluble inserts, insoluble inserts, and bioerodible inserts. It is prepared by solvent casting, mold preparation, gel foam disc, hot melt extrusion, and glass substrate technique method. This article is an attempt to present a detailed review of ocular inserts as an advanced drug delivery for glaucoma.