Posterior Vitreous Detachment

Posted by: Mike-B on 07 August 2018

I've been diagnosed with PVD (Posterior Vitreous Detachment).   And no !!! wrong !!! not that posterior.    Its an eye condition  in which the back/rear (posterior) of the hyaloid membrane separates from the rear of the eye & the retina (or so it says in my little booklet).    There's nothing to worry about once its been confirmed the retina is not affected, it can't be cured & it comes with age.

My first hint of a problem was dark spot (floaters) & then white flashing spots, it was quite alarming especially as I was away in Germany.  Anyway back home & my excellent NHS eye hospital diagnosed & reassured me it would pass in time as my brain gets accustomed to it, so no problems.  However its left me wondering how long this will take,  does anyone in forumland have experience of this & how long did it take for you to get back to normal & floater free.

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Innocent Bystander

Disturbing, and best wishes for a swift return to normal.

I had something that may or may not be a variant of the same thing - I woke up one morning to find many more black floaters than normal - actually not many, nor large, but they dominated because they were new and seemed very prominent. I recalled that the previous evening I had seen feint flashes of light at the periphery of my vision that repeated when I flicked my eyes sharply from one side to the other.  My optician didn’t give a name to it, but said it is tiny fragments of the edge of the retina breaking off, that it does happen, and nothing  can be done about it. My vision itself was not affected, and I passed the peripheral vision test. It just left me with the floaters - they diminished in prominence over maybe a month or two, That was about 6 months ago, and I no longer notice them except in certain light conditions. Just in case it makes a difference, I do try to remember not to flick my eyes sharply from one side to the other...

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Mike-B

HI IB,  it seems - or should I say 'it looks' - like you have the same.   I called my optician first & they advised to go straight to the eye hospital without delay as if it is PVD in progress, they would be referring me their anyhow.  Fortunately I live just a few miles from a specialist eye unit & they have a walk in service.   They told me that if PVD progresses normally, the retina is unaffected, the danger is the membrane can pull or partially pull it away & that is serious,   My problem - & why I asked if forum'ites have been through this -  is a frustration with the distraction it causes & am keen to get through the getting used to it stage PDQ.

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Florestan

Mike-B, I had this same issue about four years ago.  Initially, a burst of dark floaters out of the blue in one eye only and it is quite disconcerting as, if unfamiliar with PVD, one doesn't know what is happening and can only think the worst.

The bad news is that the floaters never really go away.  Yes, over time you don't notice them.  My understanding of this is that our brain eventually compensates for this and after some weeks or months you'll just see a few from time to time.  You basically learn to live with them.

The possibility of a detached retina is another thing that will not go away.  Regular checkups is really all you can do to monitor this as well as really knowing the signs of what you will see if your retina has detached.  If this happens, get to a hospital as soon as possible and they can mend this.  Wait too long, and you will lose sight in that eye.  I had a colleague once who lost an eye this way because he waited too long.  Now he has a glass eye in place.

Probably depends on your age but if you see your optician once every year and maybe two years maximum you will be fine.

If you live a rather uneventful life you will be safer.  The biggest problem is playing sports and getting a knock in the head.  This is what is most likely to lead to a detached retina given yours (and mine) are starting to detach on their own.  Age is the other complicating factor.

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Don Atkinson

It happened to me about 12 years ago. Age-related the optician said.

Presented itself a bit like yellow rain. Quite alarming. At night it appeared as vertical yellow lines that flashed, especially when looking out of the corner of my eye as when reversing the car..

Probably took about a month or six weeks to settle down. Peripheral vision tests were normal.

Occasionally, very, very occasionally, I think I might notice the odd flash at night, but i'm really not certain.

Hasn't  stopped me getting a Class 1 medical every six months for my  commercial pilot's Licence (yes, I'm too old to be on the flight deck of commercial airliners these days, but it does mean I can continue teaching !)

I'd say there is nothing to be too concerned about.

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Daveas

I had this 8 years ago shortly after and probably caused by a cataract operaration. Mine were mainly black dots and fuzzy lines. Luckily I got used to them within a few days and rarely think about it now. As others have said the main concern is a torn or detached retina. So have regular eye tests and find out what the signs of retina problems are.

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Mike-B

Thanks for your personal experience feedback folks, you've more or less confirmed all I've been told, all I have to do now is get used to it.                     

Florestan, your post is appreciated, but I am assured the hyaloid membrane has detached itself without retina damage.    I have an eye unit appointment for another check at the end of September (that's both eyes BTW).                       

Hi gain Don, talking of flying, this all started on a LHR-MUC flight & it went through my mind it was associated, but having spent most of my work life flying every week I don't buy that one,   but maybe (just maybe) the effort of stowing the carry-on might have triggered it.   

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Don Atkinson

Mine started during the course of walking along a street in London. I don't recall doing anything unusual in the previous days, so for example I hadn't been flying, I hadn't been exerting myself.....nothing, so far as I can recall. It just appeared from nowhere.

It had happened to Mrs D a year or two previously. At least, she noticed the flashing vertical lines at night but not the "yellow rain" that I first noticed. Seems to present itself in different ways. But neither of us now seems to be aware of it from day to day (or night to night).

Cheers, Don

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Innocent Bystander

It’s actually nice to know that it is quite common, and doesn’t mean inevitable significant deterioration shortly after.

Posted on: 07 August 2018 by Tony2011

I'm sure you'll be ok, Mike,  and it will not affect watching your favourite sport on the box!@@@@@@@@@@@@

Posted on: 08 August 2018 by Mike Hughes

Whilst age is a factor I’m surprised no-one has mentioned smoking, weight and diet as all are more significant than age. Indeed lack exercise itself is a risk factor rather than actual exercise. In terms of management you need to think about less screen time and reading for shorter periods in good light. 

Posted on: 08 August 2018 by Innocent Bystander
Mike Hughes posted:

Whilst age is a factor I’m surprised no-one has mentioned smoking, weight and diet as all are more significant than age. Indeed lack exercise itself is a risk factor rather than actual exercise. In terms of management you need to think about less screen time and reading for shorter periods in good light. 

Are they? I have never smoked, am and never have, I am not and never have been overweight, and my diest is balanced. Exercise wise I do a moderate amount (commuting to work by bike), but not excessive. However I may fit the age criterion, next year marking my 50th anniversary of participation in this hifi hobby.

Posted on: 08 August 2018 by Mike Hughes

Near impossible to pin it down to one cause but the process is caused by a drying out so anything which causes or accelerates that can make a contribution. 

Posted on: 08 August 2018 by Innocent Bystander

Interesting. I do not have a medical background, and find the concept of drying out within the eyeball a strange one - does that mean the vitreous humour getting more concentrated the problem cause by something like a change  in osmotic pressure?

Posted on: 09 August 2018 by JamieWednesday

I had exactly the sane two years ago. Bright light flash in eye followed by big cloudy things across my vision. 

Went to Opthalmic dept in hospital where they investigated by placing a big lens on my eye which was bloody uncomfortable and then did again, twice, for colleagues to have a look!!!

I was left with what was described as a ‘mega floater’ (snigger) but no damage.

As others said it’s an age thing apparently, where the gel separates out oin your eye and floats about. Nothing that can be done until they discover how to suck it out and replace it with something else...

I barely notice it now bar sudden eye movement or high contrast, usually at the same time as doing exercise which, fortunately, is quite rare.

Posted on: 09 August 2018 by Paul Stephenson

I had floaters and white flashes last Saturday, went to the excellent specsavers here- they diagnosed a tear in the retina- got me straight to Southampton general, they lasered it back together,all within 4 hours, hopefully all fixed, they told me floaters will not go away but the risk of retina detachment now is much reduced 1 in 20 after the procedure - all good.

Posted on: 09 August 2018 by tonym

Posterior Vitreous Detachment. Sounds like someone fell asleep on the bog and fell off.

I've been increasingly pestered by floaters, which are most notable when on a beach holiday. This is because walking along a beach and looking down at the sand makes them very visible. But your brain is very good at ignoring them after a short while. 

Posted on: 10 August 2018 by David Hendon

Mike I had a PVD in one eye about 18 months ago. Lots of floaters and flashing. It was checked out by the eye clinic in our local hospital and they made sure I knew what a retinal detachment would look like, so I could seek help immediately if that happened. I could read properly again after a couple of weeks but it took about a year for the flashing to work its way right off the edge of the screen, so to speak. The floaters are mostly still there but I don't notice them as much.

They warned me that when one eye does it, the other probably will too and sure enough about 9 months ago my other eye suddenly had the same problem. The flashing has not yet stopped in that one yet, although it's mainly visible to me in the dark and the floaters are also less annoying than they were. I think once the PVD is complete, it's easier to move floaters out of the way by moving your eyes rapidly. Also once the PVD is complete, you don't have any increased risk of a retinal tear or detachment than before you had a PVD.

best

David

Posted on: 10 August 2018 by David Hendon
tonym posted:

I've been increasingly pestered by floaters, which are most notable when on a beach holiday. This is because walking along a beach and looking down at the sand makes them very visible. But your brain is very good at ignoring them after a short while. 

Painting a white ceiling is a pretty distracting experience too!

best

David

Posted on: 10 August 2018 by Gazza

It’s my 59 th birthday staying at Park farm hotel near Norwich. I have been noticing floaters recently and this PVD thread got my attention as now and again a large black floater would fly in and out of vision. Luckily wife reduced my wine intake and got some fly spray.......normal vision resumed with normal floaters.

Hope the OP and others get sorted out, vision is so precious.

Posted on: 10 August 2018 by Cdb

Coincidentally, on Monday I took a friend to the local eye clinic at the hospital to have a further check following PVD. I had it myself some years ago and like Paul above had to have laser treatment to repair a tear some months after the initial experience of flashes and cobwebs. My understanding of the condition is that it is an inevitable part of the ageing process - in other words the consistency of the gel inside our eyes will change at some point with age. Whether the change interferes with the retina or creates a lot of floaters is a matter of chance. When it happened to me I was fortunate that a friend had experienced it a few months before and I remembered her description. She had serious damage to her retina and lost some vision, so I knew to go to get it checked urgently. A work colleague had it in both eyes over a short period of time, with surgical repair to his retina required in both cases. I am surprised that given that the condition is so common and potentially threatening to one's vision that the ageing public is not made more aware of it - for example in opticians. 

Posted on: 10 August 2018 by Mike-B
Gazza posted:

Hope the OP and others get sorted out, vision is so precious.

Thanks Gazza,  its a bit distracting for me as a newbie with this condition, just as you seem to have experienced.   I'm out on a birding trip for a few days.  Using stnd 2-C scanning eyeballs is not great at times as the floaters come & go,   whereas with bino's its a lot easier than I'd expected,  the field scope its completely unaffected, its a left eye problem & I'm naturally right eyed.  

Anyhow,  great morning with hen harriers & peregrines,  now p-p-pissisting rain & the pub looks like its the place to be for a while.