The vitreous jelly is usually made up of a regular three dimensional meshwork of a combination of collagen protein, sugary compounds and salty water. Ordinarily this produces an optically clear colourless jelly which is 99% salty water and only 1% solid. With time this regular three dimensional latticework can break down.




Pic : This is followed by the formation of entirely fluid filled pockets within the vitreous jelly as shown in the picture above and clumps of the collagen fibres coalesce together to form strings or lumps which look a bit like teased out cotton wool.

The process of vitreous syneresis or breakdown is a natural phenomenon. It can, however, be exaggerated in people who have had eye surgery, shortsighted individuals, those who have had inflammation within the eye and as an unfortunate phenomenon in people with otherwise normal eyes. Syneretic floaters may be completely independent of the presence of a posterior vitreous detachment.