19. Application of Nanofibers in Ophthalmic Tissue Engineering

This chapter describes recently designed and developed nanofiber scaffolds used for ophthalmic tissue engineering applications. In recent decades, ophthalmic diseases have been a significant health concern throughout the world, and the prevalence is likely to increase, especially in developing countries. Many types of research have focused on ophthalmic disease remedies, as well as corneal transplantation, retinal detachment, and preparation of an appropriate system for regeneration of the cornea and retina by use of scaffolds. Therefore, a necessary property for scaffold materials—in addition to biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and permeability to glucose and other nutrients—is the ability to encourage cell adhesion, which could allow artificial scaffolds to be fixed in place. However, the topography of materials has an significant effect on their applications, particularly in ophthalmic tissue engineering. Recently, nanofibers have attracted attention because of their unique properties for preparation of biodegradable and nonbiodegradable scaffolds. Electrospinning is a method used to produce biocompatible scaffolds from nanofibers for the purpose of tissue regeneration. Nanofibers can produce three-dimensional scaffolds for various purposes in ophthalmic applications such as corneal transplantation and retinal regeneration.