Posterior vitreous detachment

The vitreous is a transparent gel that fills the eye. In infancy, the gel is compact and uniform, and completely adhered to the inside surface of the eye, and this includes the surface of the retina. Over time, the gel modifies and pools of water form inside it. This results in variations of the consistency and density of the vitreous; it will tend to liquefy and will become more mobile inside the eye; one of the consequences of these changes is that the patient will start seeing mobile bodies or floaters inside the eye.

As the years pass, the pools of water will merge and increase in size. When they become very large, the gel will collapse without warning; it will detach from the retina and move to occupy the central part of the eye. This collapse is called the posterior vitreous detachment.

This is a physiological process that occurs in 85% of the people at some time in their lives and is more frequent in the over-50s.

When a posterior vitreous detachment has occurred, the patient may perceive:

In the vast majority of cases, posterior detachment of the vitreous has no negative effect on vision nor on the state of health of the eye.