Applications of nanobiotechnology in ophthalmology--Part I.

Much progress has been achieved in the field of nanotechnology and its applications in ophthalmology. It is evident that drug delivery, gene therapy, implantable devices and regenerative medicine are some of the key areas of active research. To the best of our knowledge, there is limited review work on this subject area in the current literature. To assist the interested clinicians and scientists, this bipartite commentary will focus the discussion on emerging researches in nano-ophthalmology and other enabling technologies that soon may be available in the clinician's armamentarium to maintain and restore eye sight. This installment will focus on recent discoveries in drug delivery, gene therapy, imaging and visual prostheses; the second installment will discuss the impact of nanotechnology on artificial environment, cell-nanostructure interaction, other enabling nano-ophthalmic technologies, and safety and biocompatibility of nanostructures. We will take this opportunity to introduce some exciting nano-ophthalmic applications under investigation in our laboratory. The accomplishments by the scientific community are tremendous and the future prospects are wide open.