In the area of topical ocular administration, important efforts concern the design and the conception of new ophthalmic drug delivery systems able to prolong the residence time. The use of inserts, which are solid devices to be placed in the cul-the-sac or on the cornea represents one of the possibilities to reach increased residence time. These solid ophthalmic devices present the advantage of avoiding a pulsed release due to multiple applications. In the scientific literature, patents are often not mentioned resource and this remark is particularly true in the case of ophthalmic inserts: there is no review yet describing patented ophthalmic inserts. Thus the review presented herein essentially takes into account patented ophthalmic inserts. The solid ophthalmic devices are classified into three major categories based upon their solubility behavior: the insoluble, the soluble and the bioerodible inserts. When necessary, these groups are subdivided into more specific sub-groups. The discussion essentially takes into account the design, the conception, the release mechanisms, the in vivo and in vitro assays, the limitations, and the therapeutic rationale for their use.