Sometimes we suddenly find some small black dots in front of our eyes, or something like a hair floating around, what is going on? Does it matter? The doctor told us that this is a problem with the vitreous humor in our eyes. The vitreous humor is the content of the middle and posterior part of the eye. Under normal conditions it is a clear gel. It is composed of 99% water and a small amount of collagen and hyaluronic acid. The vitreous body has important refractive functions and supports the eye. In pathological conditions, the vitreous gel state breaks down and becomes liquid. This condition is medically known as vitreous liquefaction and is a degenerative process of the vitreous body. Hyaluronic acid undergoes depolymerization due to metabolic and photochemical effects, the collagen fiber scaffold collapses and concentrates, and water is analyzed out. At the same time, the transparency of the vitreous changes due to coagulation of solid components or the invasion of blood and other tangible components, resulting in the appearance of opacities, called vitreous opacities. At this point, you will see dotted or filiform black shadows floating in front of your eyes. Vitreous turbidity is not just one disease, it can be caused by a variety of diseases. So, which diseases can cause vitreous clouding a variety of eye diseases can cause vitreous clouding, the most common are age-related degeneration, myopic changes, posterior vitreous detachment and physiological mosquitoes, in addition to retinal detachment, uveitis, primary familial amyloidosis, flash vitreous liquefaction and other clinical manifestations can also appear in front of the black shadow. The following will lead to several common diseases of vitreous clouding to introduce you. Age-related degeneration of the elderly vitreous degeneration caused by flying mosquitoes is characterized by insidious onset, mild symptoms and small changes. Although the patient subjective perception of mosquito phenomenon, the objective examination in addition to vitreous liquefaction, often can not find the cloudy point in the vitreous, is a harmless vitreous turbidity, no serious consequences, will not affect vision, but also no treatment. Myopic changes myopic eyes, especially highly myopic people often have flying mosquitoes. Patients feel floating dots or hair-like clouding in front of the eyes, lasting for a period of time and then disappearing, and later can reappear or persist, the number and shape rarely change. Treatment is not usually necessary. Posterior vitreous detachment has a sudden onset and the main symptoms are flying mosquitoes and flashing lights. On examination, the doctor may find a Weiss ring in front of the optic disc. It is usually caused by age-related vitreous degeneration. It is worth noting that a few posterior vitreous detachments can cause retinal detachment. Therefore, if you find a black shadow floating in front of the eyes and a sense of flash, you should promptly go to the hospital for examination. Physiological flying mosquitoes patients can have tiny black dots or hair in front of their eyes when looking at bright places or white background, but no intravitreal clouding is found after examination. This situation belongs to the physiological manifestation, strictly speaking is not considered a disease, and does not require treatment. Retinal detachment is less likely to occur than the aforementioned diseases, but it is a dangerous eye disease that can cause blindness and may be preceded by a history of trauma or posterior vitreous detachment. It is often characterized by the sudden appearance of more black shadows in front of the eyes and a sense of flash. As the disease progresses, there may be a sense of obscuration and partial visual field loss, which will eventually lead to vision loss if left untreated. Therefore, once these conditions occur, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. These are some of the most common diseases that can cause vitreous clouding, some of which do not require treatment and some of which can cause blindness, so does vitreous clouding matter? As we have just mentioned, there are many causes of vitreous opacities, and the degree can vary in severity. However, it is reassuring to know that in the vast majority of cases, vitreous turbidity does not cause vision loss and does not even require treatment. These conditions include physiologic flecking, mild age-related degeneration, and myopic changes. However, in a few cases, the presence of vitreous opacities is a very important warning sign of some blinding diseases. If treated promptly, it can prevent progression of the disease and save vision. Retinal detachment, for example, usually requires surgery, but if a careful examination is performed when the vitreous clouding first appears, sometimes a dry hole can be found and, with laser treatment, the formation of retinal detachment can be avoided, thus saving the pain of surgery. It is important to note that if there is a history of significant trauma before the appearance of vitreous opacities, more floating black shadows in front of the eyes, produced more quickly and suddenly, accompanied by a sense of flashing light and loss of vision, this is often a manifestation of this type of disease and requires prompt medical attention. Finally, it should be noted that the black shadows in front of the eyes we are discussing are those floating in front of the eyes. If the black shadows in front of your eyes are fixed, then please go to the hospital immediately for examination, which is often no longer a vitreous problem, but a fundus disease.