The eye is a perfect model for inflammatory, vascular and neuroprotective phenomenon.

It is a part of the central nervous system, yet easily accessible, while a closed system protected by blood ocular barriers. It is divided into anterior (front) and posterior (back) segments. The front of the eye (FOE) includes the ocular surface tissue, the cornea and the lens. The back of the eye (BOE) includes the photo sensing and photo transducing elements of the retina.

When light falls on the retinal photoreceptors (called rods and cones), these cells convert it into electrical impulses which are then carried to the brain by the optic nerve. The macula, located at the center of the retina, is the area responsible for central vision. Eye diseases, either of the FOE or the BOE, can result in partial or total blindness. They can be categorized as described in the following scheme:

A largely dominant share of the ophthalmology market (93%) consists of products directed to the treatment of FOE diseases. Indeed, except from three recently approved treatments for wet AMD and uveitis, notably two anti-VEGF therapies, there is virtually no pharmacologic therapy approved for BOE diseases.