Nanocarrier-Mediated Non-Invasive Drug Delivery for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Advances and Translational Challenges

Wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and remains a major cause of severe vision loss in older adults. Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is the current standard of care for wAMD. However, repeated injections are associated with poor adherence, procedure-related complications, and a substantial cumulative treatment burden. Topical nanocarrier-based systems have therefore attracted increasing attention as needle-free approaches for improving posterior segment drug exposure. Complementing broader reviews of ocular nanomedicine, this review specifically examines topical nanocarrier-mediated posterior segment delivery for wAMD, with a focus on three representative platforms: liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and polymeric micelles. These systems are engineered through the optimization of particle size, surface properties, drug-loading strategies, and functional modifications to improve payload stability, ocular surface residence, tissue penetration, and lesion-relevant delivery. By integrating formulation design, ocular barrier transport, ocular posterior segment bioavailability, and translational feasibility in the context of wAMD, this review provides a disease-focused and application-oriented perspective that complements existing broader reviews of ocular nanocarriers and ophthalmic nanomedicine. We summarize current evidence from preclinical and translational studies and discuss major barriers limiting clinical application, including insufficient posterior segment drug exposure, dose–safety trade-offs, pharmacokinetic instability, limited targeting efficiency, and challenges in delivering macromolecular biologics, such as anti-VEGF antibodies and fusion proteins. At present, topical nanocarrier-based strategies remain investigational, but they hold potential for development as therapeutic approaches for wAMD. Key priorities for future development include quantitative posterior segment pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic evaluation, long-term safety assessment, payload-specific carrier design, scalable manufacturing, and clinically relevant efficacy endpoints. This review provides a focused framework for the rational design and translational assessment of nanocarrier-based topical strategies for wAMD management.