Fluid Dynamic Events Within the Vitreous Cavity Induced by Saccadic Eye Rotations

The vitreous cavity constitutes most of the eye volume and is filled by the vitreous humour or vitreous body. It has the shape of a weakly deformed sphere, the deformation being essentially due to the presence of the lens, which produces an inward indentation in the anterior part of the chamber. Under normal conditions the vitreous body has the consistency of a gel with viscoelastic rheological behaviour [1]. Ageing gradually disintegrates the gel structure leading to a partial or total vitreous liquefaction. After some surgical procedures (vitrectomy) the vitreous body may be completely replaced by “tamponade fluids”, typically silicon oils, which are left for a certain time within the eye and are eventually replaced by water.