Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesComplicationsDiagnosisTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Complications
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
Posterior vitreous detachment(PVD) occurs when the vitreous—a gel-like fluid in the eye—detaches from theretina. This results in eye floaters and flashes of light that can be annoying but is usually harmless.
This article discusses posterior vitreous detachment. It explains the symptoms, risk factors, possible complications, and treatments for PVD.
Posterior Vitreous Detachment Symptoms
Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) does not always have noticeable symptoms, but can include floaters and flashes of light.
Floaters
Eye floatersare blurry shapes and shadows that move across your field of vision. Floaters often settle in the corners of your eyes and appear in your peripheral vision. They can also appear toward the center of your eye and become more obvious and annoying.
Floaters come in many shapes and can look like cobwebs, squiggly lines, dust, or insects. If the floaters appear in the shape of a circle or oval, this is called a Weiss ring.
Flashes
The other sign of PVD is flashes of light in your peripheral vision. Flashes are usually most noticeable in dark surroundings, so you’re less likely to see them outside on a sunny day than you are indoors in the evenings.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
The vitreous (also known as vitreous humor) makes up 80% of the eye’s volume and helps the eye retain its round shape. A gel-like substance, it is made of water, hyaluronic acid, and a meshwork of fine collagen fibers.
The vitreous is attached to the retina, a thin layer of light-sensitive nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye cavity.
As we age, the vitreous begins to break down, shrink, and pull on the fibers connecting it to the retina’s surface. Sometimes, those fibers break, causing the vitreous to slowly separate from the retina until it is only connected at the base.
The detachment process occurs gradually over a period of one to three months. During this time, flashes and floaters are more noticeable and, if detachment occurs faster, more frequent and bothersome. These symptoms typically resolve once the process is complete.
Risk Factors
Risk factors that can increase your chance of getting PVD include:
Verywell / Nez Riaz
Posterior vitreous detachment resolves without further problems 85% of the time. However, vision-threatening complications can sometimes occur.
Retinal Tear
About one in 10 people with PVD develop aretinal tear. This occurs when the vitreous fibers pull away from the retina, causing a tear or hole in the retina.
Symptoms of a retinal tear are similar to PVD and include floaters and flashes of light. Without prompt treatment, a retinal tear can lead to a retinal detachment.
Retinal Detachment
Aretinal detachmentis a serious condition that can cause loss of vision. It occurs when vitreous fibers pull hard enough to tear the retina.
The hallmark symptom of a retina detachment is an increase in floaters, which also can occur with a posterior vitreous detachment. Another sign is a dark curtain or shadow moving across your field of vision.
Surgery is needed for retinal detachment.For this reason, you should see an eye doctor if you have a sudden increase in floaters to help determine the cause and seek treatment as needed.
Macular Hole
The macula is the part of your retina responsible for central vision. A vitreous detachment can cause a hole in the macula.Symptoms of amacular holeinclude blurry vision and loss of central vision.
Macular Pucker
In the months or years after posterior vitreous detachment, a layer of scar tissue may grow on top of the macula. This is called a macular pucker. Macular pucker causes blurry or distorted vision and a gray or blind spot in the central vision.
Your eye doctor will need to follow up with you as retinal tears or detachment can occur weeks to months after initially having a PVD. Even if you do not have any symptoms, you may still have a retinal tear, hole, or (uncommonly) retinal detachment. Do not ignore your follow-up visits and care.
How Is PVD Diagnosed?
A dilated eye exam is a standard ocular test. Eye drops are used to dilate (widen) the pupil, making it easier for the eye doctor to check for PVD and other potential issues.
For the most part, a dilated eye exam is painless—although the drops may sting a little, and you may be slightly uncomfortable if the healthcare provider presses on your eyelid while checking for retinal tears.
In some cases, additional tests may be done to get a better look at the eye and ensure an accurate diagnosis. Non-invasive testing can include:
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
Is Treatment Necessary?
Most of the time, a posterior vitreous detachment does not require any treatment. When treatment becomes necessary, it is usually to treat one of the more severe conditions mentioned above. A retina specialist (an ophthalmologist specializing in the back of the eye) may perform surgery orcryopexy.
Surgery
If posterior vitreous detachment progresses to a retinal detachment, it may require surgery. With one type of surgery used, the retina specialist may need to remove the vitreous and inject gas into the eye to fill the vitreous space.
This helps to hold the retina in position, giving the eye time to produce more fluid to replace the vitreous.The success rate of this surgery is closer to 90%. A macular hole that occurs after vitreous detachment also may require surgery.
Unless the vision change is severe, macular pucker does not usually require further treatment. However, in extreme cases, surgery also may be needed.
Cryopexy
Cryopexy is a freezing treatment used to help close a retinal tear. It involves intense cold to freeze the damaged retina tissue and promote scar formation. That can help heal a retinal tear.
Coping With Floaters
Most of the time, the floaters and flashes associated with PVD are relatively mild and only last one to three months.
That said, floaters can be stressful. A 2017 study in theJournal of Ophthalmologyfound that those with more symptoms (such as floaters) related to a posterior vitreous detachment felt more psychological distress.The distress seemed to worsen as their symptoms became more severe.
Fortunately, you can do a few things to make floaters more manageable. Rubbing your eyes won’t help get rid of floaters, but the following tips may help:
Summary
Posterior vitreous detachment is a common eye condition that occurs more frequently over 50. Symptoms include eye floaters and flashes of light.
On its own, PVD is not dangerous and does not cause any permanent vision problems. However, in some cases, it can lead to more severe complications like retinal tears, retinal detachment, a macular hole, or a macular pucker.
Most of the time, PVD can be diagnosed during a dilated eye exam. Some people may require additional testing, such as ultrasound or ocular coherence tomography.
PVD typically resolves on its own in about three months. Most people do not require treatment, but symptoms of PVD should be evaluated to ensure it isn’t a more serious problem.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a posterior vitreous detachment?American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are floaters and flashes?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Flashes of light.Ramovecchi P, Salati C, Zeppieri M.Spontaneous posterior vitreous detachment: A glance at the current literature.World J Exp Med. 2021;11(3):30-36. doi:10.5493/wjem.v11.i3.30American Society of Retina Specialists.Posterior vitreous detachment.National Eye Institute.Vitreous detachment.Columbia University Department of Ophthalmology.Vitreous detachment.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.National Eye Institute.Macular hole.National Eye Institute.Macular pucker.Cleveland Clinic.Is posterior vitreous detachment a serious eye problem?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Retinal cryopexy.Kim Y-K.Psychological distress in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters.J Ophthalmol. 2017;2017:3191576. doi:10.1155/2017/3191576Cleveland Clinic.Posterior vitreous detachment.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a posterior vitreous detachment?American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are floaters and flashes?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Flashes of light.Ramovecchi P, Salati C, Zeppieri M.Spontaneous posterior vitreous detachment: A glance at the current literature.World J Exp Med. 2021;11(3):30-36. doi:10.5493/wjem.v11.i3.30American Society of Retina Specialists.Posterior vitreous detachment.National Eye Institute.Vitreous detachment.Columbia University Department of Ophthalmology.Vitreous detachment.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.National Eye Institute.Macular hole.National Eye Institute.Macular pucker.Cleveland Clinic.Is posterior vitreous detachment a serious eye problem?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Retinal cryopexy.Kim Y-K.Psychological distress in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters.J Ophthalmol. 2017;2017:3191576. doi:10.1155/2017/3191576Cleveland Clinic.Posterior vitreous detachment.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a posterior vitreous detachment?American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are floaters and flashes?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Flashes of light.Ramovecchi P, Salati C, Zeppieri M.Spontaneous posterior vitreous detachment: A glance at the current literature.World J Exp Med. 2021;11(3):30-36. doi:10.5493/wjem.v11.i3.30American Society of Retina Specialists.Posterior vitreous detachment.National Eye Institute.Vitreous detachment.Columbia University Department of Ophthalmology.Vitreous detachment.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.National Eye Institute.Macular hole.National Eye Institute.Macular pucker.Cleveland Clinic.Is posterior vitreous detachment a serious eye problem?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Retinal cryopexy.Kim Y-K.Psychological distress in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters.J Ophthalmol. 2017;2017:3191576. doi:10.1155/2017/3191576Cleveland Clinic.Posterior vitreous detachment.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a posterior vitreous detachment?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are floaters and flashes?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Flashes of light.
Ramovecchi P, Salati C, Zeppieri M.Spontaneous posterior vitreous detachment: A glance at the current literature.World J Exp Med. 2021;11(3):30-36. doi:10.5493/wjem.v11.i3.30
American Society of Retina Specialists.Posterior vitreous detachment.
National Eye Institute.Vitreous detachment.
Columbia University Department of Ophthalmology.Vitreous detachment.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.
National Eye Institute.Macular hole.
National Eye Institute.Macular pucker.
Cleveland Clinic.Is posterior vitreous detachment a serious eye problem?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Retinal cryopexy.
Kim Y-K.Psychological distress in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters.J Ophthalmol. 2017;2017:3191576. doi:10.1155/2017/3191576
Cleveland Clinic.Posterior vitreous detachment.
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