Retinal Pharmacotherapeutics

The use of pharmacotherapeutics in the management of retinal diseases is rapidly evolving, and a favorable therapy for the patient. Today anti-VEGF agents are used for a range of indications from inflammation-related choroidal neovascularization to macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion or diabetic retinopathy. Beyond VEGF, there is an array of target areas under investigation – not only for vascular pathologies such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease, but also for degenerative, infectious and inflammatory retinal conditions. This publication discusses many aspects from basic research on the retina, to animal models for retinal drug delivery, retinal diseases that are amenable to pharmacotherapy and also drugs and mechanisms in retinal diseases. Anyone concerned with the management of retinal diseases - the general ophthalmologist and the retina specialist alike – will find this book indispensable reading.

Retinal Pharmacotherapy is the first comprehensive book devoted to pharmacologic agents and their rationale and mechanisms of action in selected retinal and uveitic diseases. Drs. Quan Dong Nguyen, Eduardo Buchele Rodrigues, Michel Eid Farah, and William F. Mieler lead an international team of expert contributors to present up-to-date knowledge of new drugs on the market, the science behind the drugs, evidence of how the drugs work, and the reasons why they are effective or not. This user-friendly, all-in-one reference provides you with easy access to practical information on the effective and appropriate use of pharmacologic agents in the management of retinal diseases. Covers all new and existing retinal drugs to keep you current in this expanding area of the treatment of retinal diseases. Discusses the background behind retinal drugs and the various pathways of how they work so you can make thoroughly informed clinical decisions. Presents 400 color photographs and line drawings that illustrate disease appearance before and after treatment and clarify difficult key concepts. Features contributors from Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia for an international approach. Identifies and emphasizes key points clearly in each chapter to improve comprehension and make finding information easier.

There have been major advancements in the pharmacologic treatment of eye diseases over the past decade. With newly discovered disease targets and novel approaches to deliver therapeutic compounds to the eye, patients are seeing improved outcomes. Not only are there better treatments for diseases where treatments existed, we now have effective therapy for previously untreatable and blinding eye disorders. This volume will cover the pharmacologic treatment of eye diseases from the front of the eye including eyelids, conjunctiva and cornea all the way back to the retina and optic nerve. The first section of the volume reviews general principles of ocular pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical sciences, and drug delivery. In addition, the volume provides an up to date guide to the pharmacologic approach to the key eye diseases that threaten sight or ocular function.

This book addresses the issues relating to a wide variety of ocular diseases from which millions of people suffer. Long-term challenges include visual impairment and ocular blindness. Certain ocular diseases are quite rare, whereas others, such as cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma, are very common, especially in the aging population. A rapid expansion of new technologies in ocular drug delivery and new drug candidates, including biologics, to treat these challenging diseases in the retina and posterior segments of the eye have recently emerged. These approaches are necessary because the eye has many unique barriers to drug delivery. Thus, this timely reference Drug Delivery for the Retina and Posterior Segment Disease compiles and analyzes recent advances in the research and development of drug delivery systems for retina and posterior segment diseases of the eye, with an emphasis on the use of implantable devices, iontophoresis as well as micro- and nanoparticles.

We would like to acknowledge and thank Francesco Petrillo, Carlo Gesualdo, Chiara Bianca Maria Platania and Maria Consiglia Trottafor their support on the collection’s Editorial article.

Knowledge of retinal diseases has radically changed over the past 10 years with the development of both new techniques and instrumentation, with improvements in surgical machines and diagnostic tools. This book reports the latest developments in retinal diseases, from pathogenesis to diagnosis, and both medical and surgical approaches in the management of retinal diseases. The core of the book focuses on developments and new perspectives in the treatment of some retinal diseases. It also discusses the pathophysiology and treatment of retinal diseases, taking biological disease markers into consideration. The indications for surgery have expanded dramatically and inoperable conditions have become amenable to surgical treatment. As such, the book also provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art in the surgical approach to many vitreoretinal diseases with the latest developments in surgery of the retina that enable improved surgical outcomes.

Chromovitrectomy is a novel approach to visualize the vitreous or retinal surface during vitreoretinal surgery. In recent years, the widely used indocyanine green (ICG) has made the surgical maneuver of inner limiting membrane peeling tremendously safer and efficient. Also, numerous dyes have been applied in experimental settings with promising or devastating results. This volume highlights the major clinical and experimental results of currently used novel vital dyes. The first chapters describe the transparent structure of the vitreous body and summarize historical considerations to visualize its structure by optical coherence tomography, dye injections or autologous cells during surgery and for diagnostic purposes. The following contributions describe the advantages and disadvantages of ICG during vitreoretinal surgery and experimental applications. Alternative approaches by recently approved vital dyes such as trypan blue, patent blue and brilliant blue are evaluated in the subsequent chapters. Finally the last few chapters give an outlook on novel vital dyes, which are currently under evaluation, as well as alternative enzymatic approaches to remove the vitreous from the retinal surface. Being a timely update this publication will be indispensable reading for vitreoretinal surgeons and ophthalmic researchers.

Medical and information communication technology professionals are working to develop robust classification techniques, especially in healthcare data/image analysis, to ensure quick diagnoses and treatments to patients. Without fast and immediate access to healthcare databases and information, medical professionals’ success rates and treatment options become limited and fall to disastrous levels. Advanced Classification Techniques for Healthcare Analysis provides emerging insight into classification techniques in delivering quality, accurate, and affordable healthcare, while also discussing the impact health data has on medical treatments. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as early diagnosis, brain-computer interface, metaheuristic algorithms, clustering techniques, learning schemes, and mobile telemedicine, this book is ideal for medical professionals, healthcare administrators, engineers, researchers, academicians, and technology developers seeking current research on furthering information and communication technology that improves patient care.