![vmt retina vmt retina](http://retinacare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/fig_1.png)
The surgery is usually successful in returning vision, though the vision may not return completely to normal. As the macula is pulled on, it can begin to swell and in some cases a hole can develop in the macula. Special cushions and massage tables are available to help maintain the proper head position. Strict facedown positioning may be recommended for one week following surgery. A gas bubble may be placed in the eye to smooth out the macula. In most cases the vision improves with injection or a surgery that releases the abnormal pulling of the vitreous on the macula. Medicine injection ( Jetrea®) or vitrectomy surgery may help if there is significant loss of vision. If the symptoms are mild, no treatment is needed. The visual symptoms may be detected and monitored with the Amsler grid test. Sometimes there is a vague blind spot in the center of vision. It slowly worsens, often with distortion (straight lines look crooked). Vitreomacular traction as seen on optical coherence tomography (click to enlarge) What are the symptoms of the vitreomacular traction syndrome?īlurring of vision is mild at first, noted especially while trying to read fine print. If the attachment of the vitreous to the macula is unusually strong, the vitreous may pull the macula away from its normal position, distorting this normally smooth tissue. With age or trauma the vitreous gel begins to condense and pull away from the retina. At birth the vitreous is a thick and perfectly clear gel. The vitreomacular traction is caused when the clear gel that fills the eye (vitreous) pulls on the macula. What causes the vitreomacular traction syndrome? When the macula is damaged, the central vision worsens. The retina “takes a picture” of objects you look at and sends it to the brain. The retina is a thin layer of tissue in the back of the eye that lines the inside wall like the film inside the back of a camera. The macula is the center of the retina and gives sharp central vision for reading and seeing fine details. The vitreomacular traction syndrome is a condition in which the vitreous gel, which fills the inside of the eye, pulls on the macula. (Click to enlarge) What is the vitreomacular traction syndrome? The fine curved line at the top of the scan is the vitreous. What Does This Mean This is a novel drug to chemically separate the vitreous from the retina. Vision improved in a selected group 25 of those with decreased vision of 20/50 or worse. The bottom image is an optical coherence tomogram of the macula. This is a retinal scan showing vitreomacular traction. Jetrea caused resolution of VMT in about 26 of patients and caused a complete PVD in about 13. If the pulling continues to progress, permanent damage to the central vision may occur.The macula is the center of the retina (in box). In other cases, the pulling continues to worsen and this may damage the macula and cause the vision to become distorted and blurred. In some cases the pulling (traction) remains mild and does not significantly alter the vision. In VMT the vitreous pulls on the macula and starts to stretch and split the retina. The macula is the part of the retina that gives us sharp central vision for reading. The macula is the most important part of the retina, which is like the film in a camera. In some cases, the vitreous remains stuck at the macula, causing Vitreo-Macular Traction (VMT). This process is like peeling sticky tape from paper and usually the vitreous peels off the retina without problems. With age the adhesion between the vitreous and the retina loosens and the vitreous separates from the retina. The optic disk connects the retina to the brain. Browning, MD, PhD The eye is filled by a vitreous gel that is attached to the neural lining of the back of the eye, the retina, and to the optic disk. When we are born it is a solid gel, firmly attached to the retina. Traction Syndrome (VMT) and Vitreopapillary Traction Syndrome (VPT) By David J. The vitreous is the jelly like material that fills the back of the eye.