The Vitreous Humor
As reported in What is the Vitreous Humor? most of the interior of the eye is filled with a gel-like substance that helps maintain the round shape of the eye. As people age, the vitreous humor can liquefy, collapse and detach. Nearsighted people are much more likely to experience problems with vitreous detachments (posterior vitreous detachment) and to experience them at all ages compared to those with normal vision.
Shrinking of Vitreous
During the aging process, the vitreous slowly shrinks and develops pockets of liquefaction. The collagen and vitreous fibers begin to pull on the retinal surface and eventually break away. This allows the vitreous to separate or detach from the retina. Wikipedia compares this to the way a gelatin dessert shrinks, or detaches, from the edge of a pan over time.
A Detached Vitreous
There is no pain associated with a detached vitreous, and the first thing a person might notice is an increases in floaters or a larger floater or shadow in the field of vision. Other symptoms include flashes of light.
Personal Experience
Being extremely nearsighted, the onset of my own vitreous detachment came relatively early, and my only symptom was a large, dark shadow in my vision that did not float but remained near the center of the vision in my right eye for several days. A trip to see Dr. Sykes at Dr. Jay Kavanagh and Associates in Nashville to get a dilated eye examination confirmed the shadow was a vitreous detachment.
No Treatment Available or Needed
There is no successful treatment yet for vitreous detachment nor does there seem to be a need for treatment as Dr. Sykes states a detached vitreous does not threaten sight and the floaters tend to break up in time while the brain also gets used to compensating for them.
Danger of Detached Retina
However, occasionally some of the vitreous fibers pull so hard on the retina that they cause a detached retina. According to Wikipedia, the risk of retinal detachment is greatest in the first 6 weeks following a vitreous detachment, but can occur over 3 months after the event.
Thank you for reading and thank you for sharing the link to this skin, health & beauty article with others. This article is not available to repost on websites, blogs, Facebook, or elsewhere. If you would like to continue receiving skin, health and beauty articles, please click the Subscribe Icon. It's free and anonymous. If you have any questions about this article, leave a comment below or write skin_and_health@yahoo.com
WRITERS: If you would like to apply to be a writer for Examiner, please click here: http://exm.nr/vKme8q No experience necessary.
Sources:
- Dr. Sykes at Dr. Jay Kavanagh & Associates, Nashville, TN
- What is the Vitreous Humor? A closer look at the eyeball
- Wikipedia
- National Eye Institute
Also See:
- What is Collagen?
- Rodan + Fields Examiner
- Follow Skin, Health & Beauty on Twitter
- Join Skin, Health & Beauty on Facebook
Comments