title: Punctal plug: a medical device to treat dry eye syndrome and for sustained drug delivery to the eye.
abstract: Punctal plugs (PPs) are miniature medical implants that were initially developed for the treatment of dry eyes. Since their introduction in 1975, many PPs made from different materials and designs have been developed. PPs, albeit generally successful, suffer from drawbacks such as epiphora and suppurative canaliculitis. To overcome these issues intelligent designs of PPs were proposed (e.g. SmartPLUG™ and Form Fit™). PPs are also gaining interest among pharmaceutical scientists for sustaining drug delivery to the eye. This review aims to provide an overview of PPs for dry eye treatment and drug delivery to treat a range of ocular diseases. It also discusses current challenges in using PPs for ocular diseases.
authors: College of Pharmacy, Roseman University of Health Sciences, South Jordan, UT, USA; Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Venkata K
authors: VK
authors: Yellepeddi
authors: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors: Ravi
authors: R
authors: Sheshala
authors: School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors: Hannah
authors: H
authors: McMillan
authors: School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors: Chirag
authors: C
authors: Gujral
authors: School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Jones
authors: School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK. Electronic address: r.thakur@qub.ac.uk.
authors: Thakur
authors: T
authors: Raghu Raj Singh
mesh_terms: D060433:Administration, Ophthalmic; D000818:Animals; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004343:Drug Implants; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007765:Lacrimal Apparatus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004343:Drug Implants; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011108:Polymers