Posterior Vitreous Detachment
The eyeball is a globe filled with a clear gel called vitreous.
As people become older, the vitreous gel shrinks and pulls away from the back wall of the eyeball. This is called a "posterior vitreous detachment" and is an aging process.
Symptoms of Posterior Vitreous Detachment
A posterior vitreous detachment may cause the following symptoms:
- spots or floaters
- cobwebs
- Lines floating in your vision
- Flashes of light in your vision, like a flashbulb or lightning bolt (these flashes of light will be visible even with your eyes closed)
A posterior vitreous detachment is not the same as a retinal detachment although for the first six to 12 months
after a posterior detachment occurs, you are at a slightly increased risk of retinal detachment. The chances of
a retinal detachment are still low during this period, but are slightly greater than for the general population.
Therefore, at the Wills Eye Emergency Room, we recommend that patients with a new posterior vitreous
detachment follow up with their private ophthalmologist. If you do not have an ophthalmologist, or you prefer,
you can always return to Wills Eye for follow-up care.
A retinal detachment, should it occur, can be vision threatening. That is why it is important to know the signs
and symptoms of a retinal detachment. They are:
- Brief flashes of light in your vision (if you have a known posterior vitreous detachment, watch for increasing frequency of light flashes)
- A sudden shower of new floaters
- A grey or black curtain or shade coming into your vision from any direction
- A new blind spot in your vision
- Blurring of your vision which does not clear with blinking or artificial tears
If you see any of these retinal detachment symptoms, call your private ophthalmologist, go to your local hospital emergency room or the Wills Eye Emergency Room immediately.
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