What is posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)?

Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) (pronounced Pos-tear-e-er vit-re-ous de-ta-ch-men-t) is a condition where your vitreous gel comes away from the retina at the back of your eye. This detachment is caused by changes in your vitreous gel. PVD isn’t painful and it doesn’t cause sight loss, but you may have symptoms such as seeing floaters (small dark spots or shapes) and flashing lights.

These symptoms will calm down as your brain learns to ignore them. With time, you should be able to see just as well as you could before your PVD started.

The symptoms of PVD are very similar to those of a different eye condition called retinal detachment, which needs prompt treatment to stop you losing part or all of the sight in your eye. Because of this, it’s important to have your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist (hospital eye doctor) or an optometrist (optician) within 24 hours of noticing any symptoms so that an accurate diagnosis can be made. You can do this by visiting your optometrist or attending A and E or eye casualty. You can also call 111 for advice about where to go to get your eyes checked.

For information on retinal detachment, see What is retinal detachment?

About 10 to 15 per cent of people with PVD develop a retinal tear, which, if left untreated can develop into a retinal detachment. A retinal tear or detachment can be successfully treated if diagnosed early, although most people who are diagnosed with PVD will not develop retinal tear or detachment.

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