Ophthalmic Agents

Abstract

The eye consists of geographically and functionally diverse layers of tissue that cooperate to focus, collect, and transmit light energy to the brain for interpretation. The maintenance of such a complicated organ across many phylogenetic lineages suggests the evolutionarily important role of vision. In this chapter, two major sight‐threatening diseases in the western world, namely, glaucoma and age‐related macular degeneration, are discussed in detail. Current and potential drug treatments of these afflictions are examined in light of the normal homeostatic function of the relevant cells and tissue, such as photoreceptors, retinal pigmented epithelial cells, Bruch's membrane, retinal ganglion cells, and the trabecular meshwork.