Screening Methods for the Evaluation of Antiglaucoma and Anticataract Drugs

Abstract

Glaucoma and cataract are the most common ophthalmic conditions that can lead to visual impairment and eventually blindness, if untreated. Visual impairment or dysfunction significantly affects the quality of life, and hence there is always a need for new and potential drugs to restore vision. In drug discovery, experimental animal models are one of the mandatory tools to decipher the molecular mechanisms, pathophysiology, and applicability of therapy in diseases. Though several models are available, it is important to identify the ideal or the most appropriate pre-clinical models that mimic the features of ophthalmic conditions such as glaucoma and cataract to discover the targets for promising therapeutic agents. For a deeper comprehension, the advantages and limitations of the available pre-clinical models ranging from larger mammals to small animals for glaucoma and cataract are discussed in this section. This chapter summarizes the perspectives and various aspects to be considered for designing a study to evaluate the efficacy of drugs against glaucoma and cataract.