Synchysis Scintillans
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Synchysis scintillans is a degenerative condition of the
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
resulting in liquefied
vitreous humor The vitreous body (''vitreous'' meaning "glass-like"; , ) is the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the eyeball (the vitreous chamber) in humans and other vertebrates. It is often referred to as the vitreous humo ...
and the accumulation of
cholesterol Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body Tissue (biology), tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in Animal fat, animal fats and oils. Cholesterol is biosynthesis, biosynthesized by all anima ...
crystals within the vitreous. It is also known as cholesterolosis bulbi. The vitreous liquifies in a process known as syneresis. Synchysis scintillans appears as small white
floater Floaters or eye floaters are sometimes visible deposits (e.g., the shadows of tiny structures of protein or other cell debris projected onto the retina) within the eye's vitreous humour ("the vitreous"), which is normally transparent, or between ...
s that freely move in the posterior part of the eye, giving a
snow globe A snow globe (also called a waterglobe, snowstorm, or snowdome) is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sp ...
effect. It is most commonly seen in eyes that have suffered from a degenerative disease and are end-stage. The condition is seen rarely. Associated with the advanced stages of
diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy (also known as diabetic eye disease) is a medical condition in which damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes. It is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries and one of the lead causes of sight loss in the wor ...
, but the exact pathogenesis is unknown. The condition is symptomless and untreatable. In ophthalmoscopic examination it appears as small, flat, yellow, highly refractive crystals of cholesterol floating freely in the vitreous. These will settle, due to gravity, if the eye is immobilized.


References

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