Applications of nanomaterial-based drug delivery carriers in treating eye diseases

In view of the anatomical and physiological barrier of the ocular surface and the intraocular structure, the conventional ophthalmic agents cannot efficiently reach the lesion site. Currently, the different types of nanomaterials possess great advantages in delivering drugs due to their characteristics of small size, easy preparation, degradability, strong targeting and less irritation to biological tissue. As drug delivery carriers, nanomaterials have been widely used in ocular drug delivery so as to treat different types of eye diseases. In this paper, the applications of nanomaterials as drug delivery carriers in treating eye diseases are briefly reviewed.