Posterior Vitreous Detachment

[jjordie]

Has anybody had any experience of Posterior Vitreous Detachment? (PVD)

About five weeks ago I suddenly had blurry vision and seemed like cobwebs
were across my left eye and flashing streaks down the side of the eye.
Somewhat scary!

Went to A & E to have it checked and was relieved to hear it's not a detached
retina - but to keep a check on it because it could cause problems.
I still have some flashing at times (five weeks on) and two or three
black floaters so I am still worried about it.

[xMenace]

I've heard of it, but I've never seen a case like yours on here.

[jjordie]

Gee thanks xMenace! Is it so unusual?

I thought there would be several answers as I was
hoping to hear I don't need to be too concerned :(

[xMenace]

All I know is that this type of thing causes floaters and is probably quite common in the elderly. I don't know if it's even diabetes related. D is generally associated with blood vessel damage.

[jjordie]

Thanks again xMenace
Well I suppose 'elderly' fits the bill but I was concerned that
diabetes would cause more complications.

http://i27.tinypic.com/1ij0qt.gif

[Mich]

As I understand it from my Optho, the vitreous in the eye is contained in a membrane. As we grow older, the liquid inside dries out a bit. As it does this, it grows smaller and pulls away from the back of the eye (retina.) It's a normal part of aging.

In diabetics, there is a chance of retinopathy because of poor circulation in the blood vessels that surround the eye. Because the eye needs more blood (and more oxygen from the blood,) it produces a bunch of small branching vessels which grow into the vitreous from the retina. As the vitreous pulls back from the retina, some of these vessels break, causing blood to be released into the vitreous liquid, or the space in between the membrane and the retina.
The blood is what we call floaters and other names according to the severity. Some people re-absorb the blood faster than others.


That said, I'm not an eye doc. This is just a teacher's way of explaining it. Please feel free to correct me.

Mich

[jjordie]

That explains it Mich, and so diabetes could make it a bit more
of a problem - will have to keep an eye on it (if you'll pardon the pun)
I will certainly get it looked at again if things gets worse.

:cool:

[peej07]

I have exactly what Mitch refers to and I'm only 34. My doc says that it is more common in the edlerly. I'm going on about nine months of it and am finally getting a victrectomy on April 3rd. I actually had my pre-op ekg and blood work today which made the uncertainty sink in. All I can do is hope for the best. I wish you the best with yours. :)

[Mich]

PeeJ,

They really have it down these days. Don't worry too much. Practice your deep breathing in the days before because in my experience, the pre-worry is the worst part.

Look at my past posts and also X-Menace's. We each did a blow-by-blow of our vitrectomies.

I'll be gone for a few days, but will be back next week. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

JJ, do keep an **eye** on things. ;)

Mich

[johno02]

Yes, this happened to me several years ago. My doctor assures me that there is no problem now, but if you have the flashes and/or black spots, you should have it checked IMMEDIATELY!! This is because as the fluid detached, there can be additional retina damage. If it is stopped immediately, things are ok, but if not, it can lead to other serious problems, including total loss of sight. This is common in diabetics, but also occurs in much of the rest of the aging population.

[brian_999]

MICH - I've never had a PVD from what my retina specialist said ,but I do have a few questions for you. I was diagnosed with T2 in Nov 2006. When I finally got my Blood Sugars into an acceptable range two months later, my eyesight went from good (20/20 vision wearing no glasses) to horrible (suddenly near-sighted, need glasses, have new floaters etc). When I asked my retina specialist about the massive change in my vision he said a hugh metabolic shift in my sugards and body might've brought on eye problems much sooner since my a1c was 11.2 at diagnosis. I was really scared about the floaters but he said it was normal and could just be a combination of getting older (I'm 32) and my T2 diagnosis. I asked if the vitreous in my eyes were from blood and he said "No". If it was blood he would clearly be able to see that. He did tell me he saw some vitreous debris but he didn't use the word "blood". My question is this. I don't see flashing lights but I do seem to notice tiny new floaters every few months. It's not a major onslaught of them but just a new one or so. I just had them check my eyes in February and he gave me the all clear. Do you think I should have a virectomy to remove the vitreous? And if not, is there any way to prevent new flaoters from appearing. My a1c is 5.2 currently.

Thnx,
Brian