Vitreous Haemorrhage and Opacity

What is a Vitreous Haemorrhage?

Vitreous haemorrhage is the term used to describe bleeding or leaking into the vitreous cavity of the eye, which is the space between the retina and the lens and is filled with clear vitreous gel.

The pathophysiology of Vitreous Haemorrhage can be broadly placed into three categories.

• Presence of abnormal vessels that are likely to bleed, due to neovascularization caused by diseases such as Diabetic Retinopathy, Retinal Vein Occlusion or ischemic conditions.
• The rupture of normal blood vessels due to mechanical stress such as blunt or penetrating trauma.
• Blood comes from an adjacent source to the vitreous humour such tumours and macro aneurysms.

Causes of Vitreous Haemorrhage

Vitreous Haemorrhage can be caused by various factors such as:

• Diabetic Retinopathy, which is the most common cause in adults
• Trauma – which is a leading cause among young people
• Retinal Tear or Retinal Detachment
• Posterior Vitreous Detachment
• Sickle Cell Retinopathy
• Macro Aneurysm
• Age-Related Macular Degeneration
• Retinal neo-vascularization due to Central Retinal Vein Occlusion
• Eye Tumours - while very rarely the first sign of an eye tumour may be bleeding into the vitreous.

Symptoms of Vitreous Haemorrhage

The effect of vitreous haemorrhage on vision depends upon the amount of bleeding into the vitreous cavity. Symptoms of vitreous haemorrhage may range from 

• a few Floaters in mild cases, 
• blurred vision
• complete loss of vision if the haemorrhage is more severe.

Patients might also report Photophobia to various degrees.

How is Vitreous Haemorrhage Treated?

Treatment depends on the underlying cause of the Haemorrhage, which may require surgery or laser therapy.

Usually, the patients can be treated on an outpatient basis. 

It can take a few weeks to months for the blood to clear the vitreous humour, even after treatment.