Ocular Media Problems

Fig.5 Vitreous haemorrhage adapted from Smart Servier

The clear, gelatinous vitreous humour functions to maintain the structural integrity of the eyeball and transparency of the eye.

It is anchored to the globe by three main attachments:

  • Anteriorly adjacent to the ciliary body
  • Posteriorly at the surround of the optic nerve head
  • To the retina along the course of the major vessels

Traction along any of these attachments secondary to trauma, neovascularisation or degenerative change with age can result in adjacent vessel wall damage and haemorrhage into or behind the vitreous (Fig 5). This results in painless visual loss ranging from floaters or black spots across the field to light perception only.