[Ophthalmic preservatives and preparations: reality and perspectives]

Preservatives are used in order to prevent contamination of ophthalmic solutions. Besides their lack of antimicrobial efficacy in certain conditions, they raise number of problems in terms of formulation, stability, interaction with containers. There is also an increasing concern about their deleterious effects in prolonged use on ocular tissues and tear film. Various alternatives have been developed and are analysed in this article.