Vitreous opacities

Discrete collagen aggregates, liquefied vitreous material, blood, or inflammatory cells suspended within the vitreous humor that cast shadows onto the retina and are perceived as moving spots in the visual field that may degrade retinal image quality.

Causes

• Age-related vitreous changes

  • Vitreous liquefaction (syneresis)

  • Age-related collagen aggregation

  • Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)

• Intraocular hemorrhage

  • Traumatic retinal or vitreous vessel injury

  • Diabetic retinopathy

  • Hypertensive retinal vascular disease

  • Previous intraocular surgery

• Inflammatory debris

  • Uveitis

  • Vitritis

  • Other intraocular inflammatory disorders

• Retinal causes

  • Retinal tear

  • Retinal detachment

• Severe myopia (risk of vitreous degeneration and posterior vitreous detachment)