Remodeling of the adult human vitreous and vitreoretinal interface: a dynamic process

The vitreous body (or vitreous) of the human eye is an almost acellular, transparent loose-meshed connective tissue consisting mainly of water (99%) and of just 0.1% macromolecules, such as glycosaminoglycans (e.g. hyaluronan), proteoglycans, glycoproteins (such as opticin), collagens, and noncollagenous structural proteins (e.g. fibrillin). The most important macromolecules are the collagens, which form a network of heterotypic fibrils (types 11, V, IX, and XI) and presumably maintain the gel structure. Collagen types present in the vitreous are types II, V, VI, IX, and XI. Vitreous structure has been studied in some detail, but there is no absolute distinctness in anatomy in the literature, which might be explained by (i) the high water content, (ii) the use of different preservation methods, and (iii) the variable visualization techniques. The presence and course of intravitreal structures (e.g. lamellae, channels, and cisterns) are still discussed.