Recent advances of aggregation-induced emission materials in ophthalmic diseases

Abstract

Ocular diseases impose significant therapeutic challenges due to drug delivery barriers and limitations of current treatment procedures. This review explores how aggregation-induced emission (AIE) technology offers advantages over conventional treatments by unifying precision imaging and targeted therapy. AIE luminogens exhibit significantly enhanced fluorescence and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in aggregated states, enabling real-time visualization and spatiotemporally controlled intervention. Crucially, AIE platforms address key constraints of existing approaches: their physical antimicrobial mechanism bypasses antibiotic resistance, light-activated delivery leverages ocular translucency to replace invasive injections, and organelle-level specificity minimizes collateral damage compared to systemic agents. For selected intractable conditions, including infections and retinal degeneration, this integrated “see-and-treat” paradigm demonstrates significant transformative potential for advancing vision-preserving ophthalmology.