ABSTRACT
Hydrogels have been extensively researched due to their particular properties and structures, with a wide and attractive potential for ocular applications. Various materials (ceramic, nanostructures, green polymers and polymers) have been included in the structure of some hydrogels, forming innovative composite products suitable for many ocular medical devices. The advantages of the composite hydrogels for ocular drug delivery and bioengineering applications include improvements in the hydrogel properties and significant contribution in controlled drug release. This chapter provides an overview of the current development of the design and production of composite hydrogels as vehicles for drug ocular delivery, including the main outcomes, advances, limitations and applications in ocular bioengineering. After a brief introduction about the concept of hydrogels and composites, principal polymeric materials used in hydrogel formulation are presented. Considering their structure and characteristics, the next section shows a detailed description about 304technologies and recent modifications to improve their properties used in biomedical engineering. This is followed by reports about recent research efforts that have focused on the development of composite hydrogels for ocular drug release. Finally, new advances are presented about composite hydrogels for clinical ocular application.
