Intraocular Bioadhesives in Vitreoretinal Surgeries: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

Background

Bioadhesion is the ability of materials to adhere to biological surfaces. Bioadhesives are substances which induce or promote bioadhesion. The internal application of bioadhesives is gaining popularity in recent years and is being increasingly utilized in vitreoretinal surgeries. The aim of this review is to discuss the various bioadhesives and their applications in vitreoretinal surgeries.

Methods

PubMed, Google Scholar, ePub and Cochrane library database were used for literature selection. Keywords such as vitreoretinal surgery, bioadhesives, intraocular bioadhesives, glue, fibrin glue, cyanoacrylate glue and transforming growth factor were used individually and in differing combinations to perform a comprehensive systematic literature search.

Results

A total of 47 papers were retrieved and included in this review. Cyanoacrylate glue was the first bioadhesive to be utilized for vitreoretinal surgery in human eyes in 1976. The most common indications for the use of bioadhesives were in optic disc pit maculopathy, macular holes and rhegmatogenous retinal detachments.

Conclusion

The use of intraocular bioadhesives in vitreoretinal surgery represents a significant and evolving area of interest within ophthalmic research. While the pioneering use of cyanoacrylate glue, fibrin glue and transforming growth factor beta demonstrated the possible use of intraocular adhesives, fibrin glue is the most widely used intraocular bioadhesive in vitreoretinal surgery.

KEYWORDS:

• Bioadhesives
• macular holes
• retinal detachments
• systematic review
• vitreoretinal surgeries

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author’s contribution

All persons designated as authors qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify are listed. Each author has participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

Additional information

Funding

Support provided by Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation, Hyderabad, India. The funders had no role in the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript. Financial Disclosures None of the authors have any commercial interests related to materials or techniques described in this study to disclose.