Exploring the Benefits of Preservative-Free Ophthalmic Solutions in the Management of Glaucoma: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Glaucoma is a worldwide major cause of vision loss; it is mainly caused due to the degeneration of retinal cells. Its symptoms usually appear at a later stage and thus chances of vision loss are high. Ophthalmic formulations have vast applications in the treatment of several ocular disorders such as glaucoma, dry eye syndrome, and many more. Conventional dosage forms such as eye drops have been used for the treatment of glaucoma for several years but they need to be sterile, especially multi-dose formulations. Ophthalmic dosage forms generally include preservatives such as Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) to maintain the sterility of the formulations which in some cases, were reported with severe ocular irritation and toxicity including corneal damage, ocular inflammation, and conjunctival injury even though used in minute concentration. Thus, there is a dire need to review the preservative-free ophthalmic formulations (PFOF) for the treatment and management of glaucoma to overcome the side effects associated with preserved formulations and to eliminate the irritation and toxicity caused by the preservatives. This article details the current research progress and development of PFOFs for the treatment of glaucoma. Moreover, a brief on preservative-free options of ophthalmic solutions and their applications in glaucoma, with a special focus on factors limiting their development has also been presented. In addition, this review also provides up-to-date information regarding the use of preservative-free antiglaucoma treatment.