Diseases » Vitreous detachment » Introduction

Vitreous detachment

Vitreous detachment: Introduction

Vitreous detachment is the separation of the eye's internal clear gel (vitreous) from the eye wall or retinal. A posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) is a common problem of aging that may not require any treatment, other than watching for symptoms of the more serious problems such as retinal tear or retinal detachment. PVD usually occurs around age 40-70 or 50-70, but people with myopia (short-sightedness), especially high-degree, may get a PVD earlier. ...more »

Symptoms of Vitreous detachment

• Floaters - seen as spots, dots, circles, clouds, spidery webs, or various effects. All "float" in front of the eyes and move with the eye.
• Flashes - Visual light show effects; due to the vitreous pulling on the retina
• Flashes when moving the eyes
• Multiple floating visual spots
• One larger visual floater
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 8 symptoms of Vitreous detachment

Treatments for Vitreous detachment

• Watchful waiting - many cases require no treatment other than vigilance and immediate medical attention for the symptoms of retinal detachment or retinal tear.
• Vitrectomy - may be desirable in cases where floaters are significantly affecting vision.
• See treatment of flashes - in many cases of PVD the flashes will disappear gradually. New or worsening flashes need medical diagnosis.
• See treatment of floaters - in many cases of PVD the floaters will diminish. New or worsening floaters need to be immediately discussed with your doctor.
• See also treatment of retinal tear and treatment of retinal detachment
• more treatments...»

Read more about treatments for Vitreous detachment

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Vitreous detachment:

• Vision & Eye Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Eye Tests
  • Home Vision Tests
• more...»

Wrongly Diagnosed with Vitreous detachment?

• Misdiagnosis of Vitreous detachment
• Failure to diagnose Vitreous detachment
• Hidden causes of Vitreous detachment (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: Vitreous detachment

Vitreous detachment: Related Patient Stories

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• Symptoms & Risk of Contraction....

Types of Vitreous detachment

• Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) - most common type usually related to aging.
• more types...»

Read more about Types of Vitreous detachment

Diagnostic Tests for Vitreous detachment

• Dilated eye exam
• Retinal exam
• Retinal periphery examination
• Eye ultrasonography
• See also tests for retinal detachment
• more tests...»

Read more about tests for Vitreous detachment

Vitreous detachment: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to Vitreous detachment:

• No loss of vision - other than those caused by floaters and flashes.
• No worsening of condition - any worsening may indicate retinal detachment or retinal tear
• Retinal tear - increased risk
• Vitreous hemorrhage - related to bleeding from retinal tears
• Retinal detachment - increased risk
• more complications...»

Causes of Vitreous detachment

Read more about causes of Vitreous detachment.

More information about causes of Vitreous detachment:

• Vitreous detachment as a complication caused by other conditions
• Vitreous detachment as a symptom

Disease Topics Related To Vitreous detachment

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Vitreous detachment:

• Vitreous hemorrhage
• Vitreoretinal disease
• Posterior pole
• Gelatinous substance
• Subinternal limiting membrane hemorrhage
• Retrohyaloid hemorrhage
• Subhyaloid hemorrhage
• more related diseases...»

Vitreous detachment: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Vision & Eye: serious diseases often undiagnosed:
  • Glaucoma -- Undiagnosed
  • Age-Related Macular Degeneration -- Undiagnosed
  • Cataract -- Undiagnosed
  • Diabetic Retinopathy -- Undiagnosed
  • more ...»
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Vitreous detachment: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Eye Health Specialists (Ophthalmology):
  • Ophthalmology (Eye Specialist)
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
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• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Evidence Based Medicine Research for Vitreous detachment

Medical research articles related to Vitreous detachment include:

• Under what circumstances should floaters in the eye be referred to hospital?
• Pegaptanib and ranibizumab for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration
• Flashes and Floaters
• PVD
• Frequency of eye examinations
• Ocular Emergencies
• Posterior vitreous detachment
• Conventional treatment for diabetic retinopathy - Vitrectomy
• more research...»

Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database

Vitreous detachment: Animations

More Vitreous detachment animations & videos

Prognosis for Vitreous detachment

Prognosis for Vitreous detachment: Often a normal part of aging not requiring specific treatment. But sometimes indicates more severe eye problems such as impending retinal detachment. Existing floaters and flashes often gradually diminish (flashes often disappear within 6 months; people get used to the floaters), but new or worsening ones may indicate a new problem such as retinal detachment that needs immediate medical attention.

More about prognosis of Vitreous detachment

Research about Vitreous detachment

Visit our research pages for current research about Vitreous detachment treatments.

Clinical Trials for Vitreous detachment

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Vitreous detachment include:

• Assessment of Intravitreous Injections of Vitrase for Inducing Posterior Vitreous Detachment - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Vitrase (ovine hyaluronidase) 93 USP units
• more trials...»

Read more about Clinical Trials for Vitreous detachment

Statistics for Vitreous detachment

• Medical statistics for Vitreous detachment
• Death and Mortality statistics for Vitreous detachment
• Society statistics for Vitreous detachment

Vitreous detachment: Broader Related Topics

• Eye conditions
• Retina Conditions
• Eye and vision conditions
• more types...»

Types of Vitreous detachment

Vitreous detachment Message Boards

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