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Mandocello · May 19, 2009, 01:54 AM

A posterior vitreous detachment, especially when it occurs in an acute fashion, has a high "worry to serious" ratio. In other words, it is annoying, distracting, and worrisome far beyond its pathological significance.

The liquid gel (vitreous) that fills up the space in the eyeball between the lens and the retina has a circular attachment around the optic nerve. Commonly, this connection comes undone and a ring of collagen can be seen "floating" in front of the retina. That is the "floater." The patient sees the shadow of this ring when it passes in the line of sight and the ambient light is such to create a shadow.

Along with the ring, many people experience turbulence in the surrounding gel that will create transient blurriness, dimming, or similar unwanted effects in the central vision.

It sounds like you are experiencing this turbulence. A vitreous detachment creates an entirely different type of floater than those we all have and many see. When it happens in an acute fashion, like after poking your eye, you have a slightly increased risk of a retinal tear or detachment (for about a year) but this is not common.

Over time, the floater tends to settle into a relatively consistent position and your brain will ignore it. Most people will still see it forever, but after a while, they have to look for it and it does not interfere with day to day vision. The accompanying turbulence should subside, also. Some people are more disturbed by the changes than others, but there is no reasonable treatment for the PVD.

As long as it was correctly diagnosed as a vitreous detachment (not a difficult diagnosis) the Ophthalmologist will not do anything more than monitor (with a dilated exam) at the maximum level your insurance allows. It is usually not a big deal as far as being a threat to your vision, despite the ever present annoyance.

Hope that helps