To understand what functions the vitreous body performs, it is necessary to understand its role in the system of organs of vision. This anatomical structure is located behind the lens of the eyeball. From the outside, the vitreous body of the eye is limited by a thin membrane film, from the inside it is divided into tracts (channels).
Building
If you take a closer look at how the eye is arranged, you will notice that the vitreous body makes up most of the contents of the eyeball. It is in contact outside with the plane of the ciliary structure, and behind - with the optic nerve head. In humans, the vitreous body affects the full maturation of the retina and its sufficient blood supply. It has no blood vessels or nerves. The constancy of the gel-like environment is facilitated by the process of one-way osmosis of nutrients from the fluid produced inside the eye. The vitreous body has a low bactericidal activity, so leukocytes and antibodies are not found in it immediately after infection, but after some time. With partial loss, the gel-like substance is not regenerated, butreplaced by intraocular fluid structure.
From the section of ophthalmology "Anatomy of the eye" you can get a detailed idea of the volume of the vitreous body. It turns out that it is no more than 4 ml, despite the fact that more than 99% of this amount consists of water. Due to liquid filling, the volume of the eyeball is unchanged.
How is formed
The formation of this gel-like substance occurs in the early stages of intrauterine development. The original function of the vitreous body was to provide nutrition to the ocular lens and anterior segment via the hyaloid artery. After the lens of the fetus is fully formed, this vessel disappears over time, and the child is born without it. But as you know, there are exceptions to any rule: in some cases, the hyaloid artery is found in adults in the form of transformed strands of various sizes.
What do you need
The main function of the vitreous body is to transfer intraocular fluid produced by the ciliary part of the eye. Partially, the substance comes from the posterior chamber, getting directly into the vessels of the fiber and the optic nerve head. In front of the vitreous body there is a small depression, which corresponds to the place of attachment of the back of the lens. It is this semi-liquid substance that guarantees its strong connection with the membranes of the eye (the ciliary epithelium and the inner limiting membrane).
In addition, thanks to the vitreous body, which retains its shape even when exposed to a load,it is possible to carefully separate the shells without its subsequent spreading. The cortical layer of this part of the eyeball consists of hyalocytes that synthesize reticulin and hyaluronic acid, which is necessary to maintain the correct consistency. It often forms microcavities due to retinal rupture, which, in turn, contributes to the development of its detachment in the future.
How it changes with age
If you pay attention to how the eye is arranged in an adult, then when considering the vitreous body, changes in its structure will become noticeable. In newborns, this substance is a homogeneous gel-like mass, but over the years it is reborn. With the period of growing up in a person, individual molecular chains stick together into larger compounds. The gel-like mass eventually turns into an aqueous solution and an accumulation of molecular compounds. Changes are also reflected in the quality of vision: these floating groups are noticed by a person in the form of dots flashing before the eyes, “flies”. At the final stage of this process, the vitreous becomes cloudy and detaches from the retina, which is manifested by an increase in the amount of molecular suspension. In itself, this violation does not pose a significant threat, but in isolated cases it can lead to retinal detachment.
What role does it play for vision
The vitreous body begins to perform all its functions from the moment a person is born. The physiological purpose of this department of the eyeball isin the following:
- Due to its absolute transparency of the gel-like liquid, light rays penetrate directly to the surface of the retina.
- Due to the unique structure of the vitreous body, intraocular pressure indicators remain stable, which is fundamentally important for the implementation of metabolic processes and the normal functioning of the visual organ.
- The vitreous body provides optimal positioning of the retina and lens.
- In case of sudden movements or trauma to the pupil, the functions of the gel-like liquid substance are designed to compensate for intraocular pressure drops.
- The spherical shape of the eye is the "merit" of the vitreous body.
Diseases that may occur
The process of turbidity of a semi-liquid structure can proceed in different ways. In most cases, pathological changes occur behind the cornea and lens. The vitreous body in this case undergoes pretrolental opacification. In other cases, changes occur in the central part of the organ or appear in combination.
Conventionally, all diseases of the vitreous body are divided into congenital and acquired. The first group includes such pathologies:
- The presence of remnants of the embryonic artery that provided nutrition to the lens in the womb.
- Primary vitreous persistence.
With age, the development of a number of pathological phenomena and diseases of the vitreous body is possible. These include:
- thinning the consistency;
- destruction;
- clouding;
- hernial formations;
- hemophthalmos (hemorrhage).
Often, patients are diagnosed with inflammation of the vitreous body of the eyeball - endophthalmitis or panophthalmitis. A more rare occurrence is the posterior detachment of the substance, due to which the bond of the membrane film at the attachment sites is disrupted. Against the background of the progression of the pathology, the vitreous body spreads between the retina and the posterior hyaloid membrane, which leads to a rapid decrease in visual acuity.
How diseases manifest
Speaking about the symptoms that disturb patients with diseases of the vitreous structure of the eye, it is worth noting that they are usually manifested by floating point opacities. Patients see blots, threads, flies of various sizes. As for a noticeable deterioration in vision and pain in the eyes, these signs often occur with hemorrhage and inflammation of the vitreous body.
In the event of a decrease in the functionality of the vitreous body, the patient may not be bothered by any symptoms for a long time. At the same time, the likelihood that the disease will lead to visual impairment is quite high.
Causes of pathologies of the vitreous body
Nervous experiences, constant stress, as well as deterioration of visual functions caused by age-related changes are capable of provoking disturbances in the work of the visual system. In the treatment of pathologies of the vitreous body, first of all, it is important to constantly monitor the ophthalmologist and periodically conduct a comprehensive examination. Only qualifieda specialist is able to prescribe a competent treatment for the problem.
The risk group for diseases of the vitreous structure of the eye includes patients older than 40 years. If vision problems appeared at an earlier age, a person needs to reconsider his lifestyle and, if possible, exclude provoking factors.
What is destruction
We are talking about the destruction of the vitreous body, which leads to the appearance of very pronounced symptoms. The filling substance becomes cloudy, which is perceived by the patient as the occurrence of floating interference - villi, stripes, dots, nodules. The process of destruction of the vitreous body is most often caused by impaired blood supply to this zone, diseases of the endocrine system, injuries of the eye and head, and stress. Of course, age factors also play a role.
For destruction, chaotic turbidity is characteristic. In this case, visual interference can occur in front of the patient in any visibility zone. In the process of destruction of the vitreous structure of the eye, moving transparent blotches appear with clear boundaries. They do not stand in one place and move after the pupil. The functions of the visual organs do not suffer, therefore, the treatment of destruction is carried out extremely rarely, only in the presence of critical deterioration.
Today, therapy involves the splitting of cloudy areas with a laser. It is important to note that any surgical intervention on the vitreous can cause complications.
What is dangerous detachment and hemorrhage
In both cases, there is a risk of loss of vision, and therefore any of the pathologies must be taken seriously. With detachment, short-term flashes, glare, lightning or black dots appear before the eyes. By itself, the process of separation of the vitreous body is safe for the patient. You can do without intervention when the symptoms are mildly blurred. But if you do not take any medical measures, the decline in visual function is inevitable.
In addition, cases of hemorrhage in the vitreous body are known in ophthalmology. Even if this disease does not bring any discomfort, the patient needs to visit a specialist regularly. Repeated episodes of hemorrhage lead to loss of vision, so the primary task of the attending physician is to prevent relapses and maintain vitreous function.
Ophthalmic diagnostics
To identify the pathology of the vitreous body, ophthalmologists conduct the following types of diagnostic studies:
- Visometry is a "standard" procedure that allows you to determine the visual acuity of a patient. Everyone underwent such a study: with the help of tables and posters with sufficient lighting, the oculist checks the visual functions of the right and left eyes.
- Biomicroscopy allows you to assess the condition of the anterior region of the vitreous body under a microscope.
- Ophthalmoscopy is designed to determine changes in the posterior vitreous.
- Optical coherence tomography involves identifyingpathology of the retina for detachment.
- Ultrasound - a detailed examination of the condition of the eyeballs.
Before starting the treatment of any disease of the vitreous body of the eye, it is important to accurately differentiate it from other pathologies according to the type of identified changes of a degenerative or inflammatory nature.
Achievements of scientists
In the presence of diagnosed disorders of the nervous system, patients are recommended to undergo surgical treatment of the vitreous body. This operation is called a vitrectomy. After removing the gel-like liquid, the compartment is filled with an unnatural substance of similar physical characteristics.
To date, ophthalmologists have developed methods for the synthetic cultivation of hyalocytes. They are planned to be used to create a substitute for the vitreous body, which has changed its structure. The analogue should be devoid of the disadvantages of silicone fluid, which is being introduced to patients after vitrectomy today.
