Global InformationVitreomacular adhesion information
| Vitreomacular adhesion | |
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| Schematic diagram of the human eye. |
Vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) is a human medical condition where the vitreous gel (or simply vitreous, AKA vitreous humour) of the human eye adheres to the retina in an abnormally strong manner. As the eye ages, it is common for the vitreous to separate from the retina. But if this separation is not complete, i.e. there is still an adhesion, this can create pulling forces on the retina that may result in subsequent loss or distortion of vision. The adhesion in of itself is not dangerous, but the resulting pathological vitreomacular traction (VMT) can cause severe ocular damage.
The current standard of care for treating these adhesions is pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), which involves surgically removing the vitreous from the eye. A biological agent for non-invasive treatment of adhesions called ocriplasmin has been approved by the FDA on October 17, 2012.