Tissue adhesives in ophthalmology

Abstract

Tissue glue is increasingly becoming a choice of material as an adjuvant to surgical wound closure in ophthalmology. Each of the type of glue is unique in terms of its advantages as well as limitations and so is used in different indications. Although the presently available tissue adhesives are good enough for the procedures mentioned, there is still a demand for newer adhesives. The increasing acceptance of these adhesives by the clinicians promises this to be a standard procedure for surgical wound closure. The existing cyanoacrylate glue is mainly used as a corneal patch to seal acute corneal perforations and improve visual outcomes, with reduced enucleation rates and need for tectonic keratoplasty in many situations. Fibrin glue is a biological adhesive, which reduces the total surgical time. The multiple advantages has extended its use in all the superspeciality fields of ophthalmology like corneal and conjunctival surgeries; strabismus, cataract, refractive, glaucoma, and even retinal surgeries. A newer tissue adhesive like biodendrimers and photocrosslinkable ones has better biocompatibility, rapid sealing properties and increased binding forces. It promises to overcome the drawbacks and risks associated with the existing ones but still under research. The increasing acceptance of all these promises it to be a standard procedure for surgical wound closure and probably will introduce a newer modality for drug delivery. In this article, we tried to review the literature with internet and medlines search for the available adhesives, as well as the upcoming ones with promising applications in ophthalmology.