Age-Related Differences in the Human Vitreoretinal Interface

Abstract

Age-related differences in vitreoretinal adhesion were investigated in 59 human eyes from donors aged from 33 weeks of gestation to 94 years with the use of dark-field and electron microscopy of whole vitreous. In all eyes from individuals aged 21 years or older, dissection of the retina off the vitreous resulted in cleavage between the vitreous cortex and the internal limiting lamina. However, in six (40%) of 15 eyes from individuals aged 20 years or younger, the internal limiting lamina remained adherent to the vitreous cortex in an area that encompassed the macula, temporal arcades, and peripapillary posterior pole. Ultrastructural studies revealed inner portions of Müller's cells that were attached to the posterior aspect of the internal limiting lamina. These results suggested that, in youth, there is adhesion between the vitreous cortex and internal limiting lamina that is stronger than Müller's cell itself and is topographically more extensive than previously thought.