Ophthalmic drug delivery: hybrid polymeric hydrogels

The use of hydrogel-based materials in ophthalmology is well established and the number of drug–device combination products reaching clinical stages is becoming increasingly significant. After briefly reviewing the main challenges of drug delivery to the eye, this entry focuses on the vast applicative potential of hybrid polymeric hydrogels and discusses their main structural characteristics and the advantages they can bring to hydrogel-based delivery systems compared to traditional materials. The entry also presents recent examples representative of the current ophthalmic drug delivery strategies that can make use of hybrid hydrogels.