The Vitreous: Structure, Function, and Pathobiology

The Vitreous - Structure, Function, and Pathobiology, with a foreword by C.L. Schepens, presents a comprehensive overview of the biochemical composition, molecular organization, morphologic structure, physiology, and metabolism of the vitreous body of the eye. The pathobiology of vitreous and vitreoretinal disorders is discussed within the context of derangements of normal biology and of a shared basic pathobiology. The book examines such developmental and inherited disorders as dominant exudative vitreoretinopathy and Wagner's disease; connective tissue disorders, including Marfan's syndrome and Stickler syndrome; cellular invasion through trauma, inflammation, and neoplasia; vascular invasion through trauma and the role of the vitreous in neovascularization; vitreoretinal traction; and such miscellaneous conditions as myopia, aphakia, retinitis pigmentosa, and asteroid hyalosis, as well as the effects of surgical intervention through vitrectomy, photocoagulation, cryopexy, and intravitreal injections. A novel approach to the effects of diabetes mellitus on the vitreous is offered. Clinicians will be able to use this monograph as a basic science reference manual; researchers will obtain a better understanding of the problems that confront clinicians, which should help them direct their research to the areas relevant to clinical problems that need development.