Basic ocular pharmacotherapy

1. There are certain unique features of pharmacotherapy as it relates to the eye. One is that we have the ability to apply a drug directly to the surface of the eye in the form of eyedrops. This has important ramifications in terms of pharmacokinetics, the distribution of drug throughout the ocular tissues. 2. Ocular pharmacokinetics is the study of the distribution of a drug over time. One of the principles of pharmacotherapy is that we want to maximize the amount of drug that reaches the site of action in a sufficient concentration to cause a beneficial therapeutic effect. 3. Ophthalmic nurses play an important role in patient education, because they spend time talking to patients about the proper way to use drugs.