Review of nanoformulations for treating ocular fungal infections

Ocular fungal infections affect more than one million people globally, of which fungal keratitis and endophthalmitis are the most common. These infections are the primary cause of morbidity and vision loss in tropical and subtropical countries. Treatment of these diseases is problematic mainly due to the limited number of antifungal drugs, their unfavourable physicochemical properties (such as poor aqueous solubility and high molecular weight) and high toxicity profile. In addition to these limitations, the ocular barriers pose as obstacles in the distribution of these drugs into the intraocular tissues when administered systemically or topically. Hence, achieving therapeutic concentration of these antimicrobial agents in the ocular tissues is difficult, leading to low bioavailability and poor therapeutic outcomes. Various approaches have been employed to improve the treatment outcome of ocular infections. One of the most promising approaches is the use of nanoformulations. This review discusses the common ocular fungal diseases and the available treatment agents. The work also reviews recent studies on the use of nanoformulations in treating ocular fungal infections. In addition, it highlights the in vitro and in vivo characterization techniques for these formulations and the prospect of treating ocular infections of the eye.