Preparation of polymeric microspheres as an ophthalmic drug delivery system for brimonidine tartrate

A dramatic increase in the incidence of eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, and inadequate therapeutic control has led to the search for advanced methods of sustained and targeted drug delivery. The development of polymeric devices, matrix implants and microspheres has facilitated the prolonged controlled release of therapies to the target sites. The aim of this study is to prepare brimonidine tartrate-loaded microspheres, which possess suitable characteristics for development into an implantable device that will later exploit the binding properties of ocular melanin to influence the release properties.