liquefied vitreous

Posted by Ann on April 24, 1999 at 22:32:08
Does having liquefied vitreous in each eye lead to any serious problems? I have severe myopia (-9) and areas of lattice degeneration.Upon opening my eyes in the middle of the night or 1st thing in the morning I get a brief sensation of flickering lights (like a movie projector is on in the room).Optho examined me and found dry corneas with punctate epithelial defects bilaterally (what's that?)MRI showed small periventricular bright signals in the white matter.

Posted by HFHS M.D.-JL on April 24, 1999 at 23:19:11
It is common to have liquified vitreous as we get older but this process happens at an earlier age in people with high myopia like yourself.  The fact that you have had a good retinal exam makes a retinal problem causing the flickering lights uncommon but this should be checked on a regular basis.  I do not think the dryness is causing the flickering however.  
This information was provided for medical educational purposes only.
Sincerely
HFHS M.D.-JL