Vitreoretinal degeneration
Overview
A condition characterised by the degeneration of the vitreous and retina of the eye
Symptoms
* Myopia * Visual difficulties * Cataracts * Retinal detachment
Causes
Any retinal tear or hole allows the liquid vitreous to seep between the retinal layers, separating the retina from its choroidal blood supply. Predisposing factors include myopia, intraocular surgery, and trauma. In adults, retinal detachment usually results from degenerative changes of aging, which cause a spontaneous retinal hole. Perhaps the influence of trauma explains why retinal detachment is twice as common in males. Retinal detachment may also result from seepage of fluid into the subretinal space (because of inflammation, tumors, or systemic diseases) or from traction that’s placed on the retina by vitreous bands or membranes (due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, posterior uveitis, or a traumatic intraocular foreign body). Retinal detachment is rare in children, but occasionally can develop as a result of retinopathy of prematurity, tumors (retinoblastomas), trauma, or myopia (which tends to run in families).
Diagnosis
The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Vitreoretinal degeneration. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Vitreoretinal degeneration has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Vitreoretinal degeneration signs or Vitreoretinal degeneration symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Vitreoretinal degeneration may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Vitreoretinal degeneration symptoms.