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  • What happens to the vitreous gel after a posterior vitreous detachment?


    Question:

    What happens to the vitreous gel after a posterior vitreous detachment (or a PVD, when the gel inside the eye liquefies over time and detaches from the back of the eye)? Does the vitreous membrane reattach eventually after PVD? Or does new vitreous regenerate and fill the gap?


    Answer:

    With aging, the solid vitreous gel progressively liquefies to the point that it spontaneously separates from the retina—what is called a posterior vitreous detachment. At this point the liquefied gel retracts—it does not reattach. The vitreous cavity (inside of the eye), by natural processes, is filled with liquefied fluid to “fill the gap.”


    Answered By:

    General Eye Health