The so-called vitreous body belongs to the middle sections of the eyes. In addition to the vitreous body, the middle section of the eye also consists of the anterior and posterior eye chambers. The vitreous body is primarily responsible for the shape of the eyeball.
What is the vitreous body?
The vitreous body (called corpus vitreum in Latin) represents a part of the eyes, and in anatomy and ophthalmology it belongs to the middle sections of the eye – these consist of the vitreous body and the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye. The vitreous body, which consists of a gel-like and transparent substance, ensures that the eyes retain their shape. It is located between the lens and the retina, and thus represents a point through which light passes as it passes through the eye.
Anatomy and structure
The vitreous fills approximately two-thirds of the entire eyeball. Because of its gel-like consistency, it is primarily responsible for maintaining the shape of the eye even if the eye suffers an injury. Since it lies in the middle of the path of light to the retina, the vitreous body consists of 98 percent water is usually – that is, in a healthy and normally developed eye – transparent. Thus, despite its position, it enables good processing of optical presentations. The remaining 2 percent of the vitreous body usually consists of collagen and hyaluronic acid. However, with advancing age, the even structure of the vitreous body can change. Often, the vitreous begins to liquefy more with age, which can lead to irregular condensations in the substance of the gel-like tissue. In medicine, this is referred to as flying spots, colloquially as “flying gnats” or as fluff-like, twitching and moving formations that people perceive. These formations usually move around whenever the eye is in motion – which can affect vision from mild to severe, depending on the severity of liquefaction present. Basically, however, this liquefaction is a harmless and normal change of the eyeball. Therapy is not necessary in most cases.
Function and tasks
The vitreous humor is an important part of the eyeball and belongs to the middle chamber of the eye. Here it is located between the lens and the retina, and its gel-like and therefore elastic substance ensures that the eye retains its shape even when exposed to external influences – for example, when pressure is applied to the eyeball or when it is injured. In addition, the vitreous body has a positive and supportive effect on the mobility of the eye, as its structure makes it more flexible overall. To ensure that the vitreous body, which due to its position lies between the retina and the lens on the path that light travels back through the eye, does not impair visual function, it is transparent. Thus, a healthy vitreous does not cloud or negatively affect vision.
Diseases
The vitreous can be subject to a wide range of injuries and diseases that affect the entire eye. Common examples include inflammation (medically called uveitis), which can affect the entire eye and therefore the vitreous body. Which form of inflammation affects which part of the eye usually depends on the trigger, such as a disease or injury. A frequently represented disease of the vitreous body is the so-called synchisis scintillans (also called spintheropia or spark vision), in which crystals consisting of cholesterol are deposited in the eye and in the vitreous body. Among other things, these make vision difficult and affect it. In addition to liquefaction of the vitreous body, which can occur with age or as a result of various diseases, another common disease of the vitreous body is vitreous detachment. This is referred to in ophthalmology when the vitreous body lifts or detaches from the top and back of the retina. Among other things, this can also happen with advancing age, but also as a result of an injury and disease of the eye. Vitreous detachment is also often accompanied by extensive liquefaction of the substance of the vitreous. Depending on the severity of the detachment and liquefaction, ring-shaped or serpentine lines appear in the center of the visual field of the affected person in this case. Basically, these can be compared to the “flying gnats”, but could possibly be more severe than in normal age-related liquefaction of the vitreous substance.And: Liquefaction of the vitreous body, which is actually considered harmless, can also accompany retinal detachment. Likewise, the latter can be triggered by a vitreous detachment. For this reason, it is important to consult an ophthalmologist as a precaution even in the case of the slightest symptoms. Only the ophthalmologist can rule out a disease requiring treatment. In addition, the vitreous body can be affected by a vitreous hemorrhage, which can slightly to severely affect the patient’s vision. In any case, a hemorrhage in the eye must be examined and usually treated by an ophthalmologist to avoid permanent damage to the eye and impairment of vision. A hemorrhage of the vitreous can have different causes – for example a trauma, caused by an external impact or injury, a vitreous detachment or a new vessel formation. The latter can be caused, for example, by a disease of the eye triggered by diabetes (called diabetic retinopathy) or by an age-related circulatory disorder of the retina (macular degeneration).
