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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Preparing Porcine Eyes for Confocal Reflectance Microscopy to Visualize the Vitreous Collagen Fiber Network

Preparing Porcine Eyes for Confocal Reflectance Microscopy to Visualize the Vitreous Collagen Fiber Network

Published on: October 17, 2025

Adult vitreous structure and postnatal changes.

M M Le Goff¹, P N Bishop

¹Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Faculty of Life Sciences and Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Eye (London, England)

|March 1, 2008

Summary

Aging causes vitreous liquefaction and posterior vitreous detachment by altering collagen organization. This process, along with changes in the vitreous base, increases the risk of retinal breaks and detachment.

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Assessment and Characterization of Hyaloid Vessels in Mice

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Assessment and Characterization of Hyaloid Vessels in Mice

Assessment and Characterization of Hyaloid Vessels in Mice

Published on: May 15, 2019

Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Molecular Biology
Gerontology

Background:

The vitreous humor is a gel-like substance composed of collagen fibrils and hyaluronic acid.
Age-related changes in the vitreous humor, such as liquefaction, are common.
These changes can lead to posterior vitreous detachment and retinal complications.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the molecular organization of the adult vitreous.
To understand age-related changes in the vitreous humor.
To elucidate the mechanisms leading to posterior vitreous detachment and retinal breaks.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on vitreous humor composition and aging.
Analysis of molecular changes in collagen fibrils with age.
Examination of the vitreoretinal adhesion and vitreous base dynamics.

Main Results:

Collagen fibrils aggregate with age due to loss of type IX collagen, causing vitreous liquefaction.
Age-related weakening of postbasal vitreoretinal adhesion contributes to posterior vitreous detachment.
Posterior migration of the vitreous base, due to new collagen synthesis, can create irregularities predisposing to retinal breaks.

Conclusions:

Vitreous liquefaction and posterior vitreous detachment are natural consequences of aging.
Changes in vitreous structure and adhesion increase the risk of retinal breaks and detachment.
Understanding these molecular mechanisms is crucial for managing age-related retinal conditions.