Vitreous Detachment

What is Vitreous Detachment

Vitreous detachment is part of the normal aging process in the eyes. Vitreous is the jelly-like substance that makes up most of the inside of the eyeballs. It helps the eyeballs keep a round shape. The vitreous is attached to the retina of the eye with a series of fibers.

As you age, the vitreous gradually shrinks. Tension increases between the fibers and the retina. Eventually, the fibers can break free from the retina, causing vitreous detachment. In most cases, this does not cause problems and does not require treatment. However, it can sometimes cause the retina to separate from the eyeball (retinal detachment), which requires treatment to prevent vision loss.

What are the causes?

Aging is the main cause of vitreous detachment. Everyone’s vitreous naturally shrinks with age.

What increases the risk?

You are more likely to have vitreous detachment if you:

• Are at least 50 years old.
• Have inflammation of the eye.
• Have an eye injury.
• Have had eye surgery.
• Have a hemorrhage in your eye.
• Are very nearsighted (myopia).
• Have diabetes.

What are the signs or symptoms?

Most people with this condition will not notice any symptoms. If symptoms do occur, the most common are floaters. Floaters occur as the vitreous begins to shrink. They may:

• Appear as tiny dots or webs in your vision.
• Seem to disappear when you look at them directly.
• Appear more often as your condition gets worse.

Other symptoms include:

• Flashes of light (photopsia) in your peripheral vision that may look like lightning streaks.
• Decreased vision or a dark curtain or shadow moving across your field of vision. This is rare.

How is this diagnosed?

This condition may be diagnosed based on:

• Your signs and symptoms.
• An exam by a health care provider who specializes in conditions and diseases of the eye (ophthalmologist). The exam may include:
  • Putting eye drops in your eye to make the pupil wider (dilated). The pupil is the opening in the center of the eye.
  • Checking the pupils with a magnifying glass. This exam is the best way to determine the type and extent of damage to your eye.

How is this treated?

For most people, a vitreous detachment is harmless, causing no symptoms or vision loss, and does not require treatment. Floaters usually become less noticeable over time.

If the condition causes retinal detachment, you may need eye surgery to reattach your retina (reattachment surgery) in order to prevent vision loss or restore your vision.

Follow these instructions at home:

• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important.

Get help right away if:

• You develop signs of retinal detachment. These include:
  • A sudden increase in the number of floaters you see.
  • An increase in the number of flashes of light you see in your peripheral vision.
  • Decreased vision.

Summary

• Vitreous detachment is part of the normal aging process in the eyes.
• Vitreous is the jelly-like substance inside the eyeballs. As you age, the vitreous shrinks, and the fibers that attach the vitreous to the retina can break free, causing vitreous detachment.
• In most cases, vitreous detachment does not cause symptoms and does not require treatment. The most common symptom that can occur is seeing floaters that appear as tiny dots or webs in your vision.
• Vitreous detachment can sometimes cause the retina to separate from the eyeball (retinal detachment). This must be treated to prevent vision loss.