Intravitreal Devices for the Treatment of Vitreous Inflammation

Table 1

Drug delivery implant polymers.

Material	Properties	Clinical application
Nonbiodegradable devices
Ethylene vinyl acetate	Nonpermeable, hydrophobic	Vitrasert implant, intravitreal dexamethasone, and cyclosporine
Polysulfone capillary fiber	Water impermeable; increases surface area for drug release	Used experimentally for carboxyfluorescein dye release and daunomycin in rabbit eyes
Polyvinyl alcohol	Permeable	Vitrasert implant, intravitreal dexamethasone, and cyclosporine
Biodegradable devices
Polyanhydrides	Degrade by surface erosion into biocompatible monomers	5-fluorouracil, taxol, and etoposide
Polycaprolactone	Semicrystalline, hydrophobic	5-fluorouracil, dexamethasone, and triamcinolone implants
Polyglycolic acid	Semicrystalline; synthesized using toxic solvents
Polylactic acid	Hydrophobic; degrades more slowly than polyglycolic acid
Polylactic-co-glycolic acid	Copolymer (adjustable ratio) of polyglycolic and polylactic acid	Dexamethasone (Ozurdex), indomethacin