synerisis

my ophthalmologist told me both of my eyes were in the process of synerisis and she said that was the explanation for the grey shadow i am seeing in my left eye.

my question is, are the floaters from synerisis different from regular floaters in any way. i have tons of stringy and cobwebby and dot-like floaters but what i am seeing in my left eye is more of a solid light grey area.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Reduced to the most elemental substances most floaters are made of the same stuff, their size and shape and how much they move varies a great deal.  

Why don't you go to Google Images and search "vitreous floaters"  there are many pictures and illustrations that will show you posterior vitreous detachments, vitreous synerisis.  The visualization is quite helpful to understand what's going on.

JCH III  MD

[mel07green]

Thank you for that. I couldn't really find anything like what i'm experiencing though.

The ophthalmologist said it was the result of syneresis - a grey shadow when i move my head/eyes.

i guess I am worried she missed a more significant cause. Could traction cause a phosphene-like shadow?

[mel07green]

Also, doctor, could you pls tell me the time-frame for syneresis? Will the symptoms abate? And is it benign?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Think of jello coming out of the refrigerator and out of the mold, think sitting the jello at room temperature. It immedately starts to un-gel (turn liquid) that is what synerisis is. It proceeds at different rates in different people. It ends when all or most of the gel is turned in to liquid. This a normal part of aging like the hair graying and the skin wrinkling.

There's no reason to court trouble and think the ophthalmologist over-looked something. Try and relax a little.  

JCH MD   Ophthalmologist

[mel07green]

Thank you so much for your explanation. So it's not dangerous?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

No its not dangerous (whether aging is dangerous is a metaphysical question that I shall not address).  

JCH MD

[mel07green]

hehe, thank you.