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  • Ophthalmology
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    Intravitreal implants

    From Handwiki - Reading time: 2 min

    Anatomical diagram of a human eye

    Intravitreal implants are micro device-like inserts injected into the posterior segment of the eye to treat retinal diseases releasing therapeutic drugs at a set rate over a desired period of time.[1][2] The posterior segment of the eye consists of the sclera, choroid, fovea, vitreous humor, optic nerve, and retina.[3][4]

    Applications

    Non-biodegradable implants

    Inserts made with non-biodegradable materials such as polymers require a surgical removal of the implant after the end of the treatment period.[2] Examples of these materials consist of polymers such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyurethane (PU) and poly siloxane (PS).[4] An advantage to these non-biodegradable implants is that they do not cause any immune response towards the retina and the release of the drug substance can be controlled by "layering polymers of different permeability."[2]

    Biodegradable implants

    Biodegradable implants are made of materials, typically, either water-soluble or metabolizable to degrade into un-harmful byproducts which can be safely excreted by the human body.[2][4] It is important to note the release of the therapeutic drug is determined by the degradation of the implant and the diffusion rate of the drug substance.[2] Indicating that the higher the molecular weight of the polymer and drug substance used, the slower the release of the drug into the vitreous humor.[2]

    References



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