Adhesion Mechanism, Applications, and Challenges of Ocular Tissue Adhesives

Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jan 8;26(2):486. doi: 10.3390/ijms26020486.

Abstract

Corneal injury is prevalent in ophthalmology, with mild cases impacting vision and severe cases potentially resulting in permanent blindness. In clinical practice, standard treatments for corneal injury involve transplantation surgery combined with pharmacological therapy. However, surgical sutures exhibit several limitations, which can be overcome using tissue adhesives. With recent advances in biomedical materials, the use of ophthalmic tissue adhesives has expanded beyond wound closure, including tissue filling and drug delivery. Furthermore, the use of tissue adhesives has demonstrated promising outcomes in drug delivery, ophthalmic disease diagnosis, and biological scaffolds. This study briefly introduces common adhesion mechanisms and their applications in ophthalmology, aiming to increase interest in tissue adhesives and clinical ophthalmic treatment.

Keywords: corneal repair; medical tissue adhesive; wound closure.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Corneal Injuries / therapy
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Humans
  • Tissue Adhesives* / chemistry
  • Wound Healing / drug effects

Substances

  • Tissue Adhesives