Bilateral Amyloidosis of the Vitreous Body

Abstract

Amyloidosis of the vitreous body is an uncommon and often misdiagnosed condition that causes progressive visual loss. It is usually associated with primary familial systemic amyloidosis. The patient described in this report has amyloidosis of both vitreous bodies; her case is unusual because no other family members are affected and because there has been no evidence of systemic involvement over a seven-year observation period. After part of the vitreous body of her right eye was removed surgically, visual acuity improved from light perception to 20/60. New concepts regarding the nature, classification, and histochemical identification of amyloid are discussed.