Change in vitreous collagen after penetrating injury.

Following controlled ocular penetrating injuries in rabbits, autologous blood was injected into the vitreous. All animals were examined with ultrasonography, ophthalmoscopy and photography. After 3 weeks the animals were sacrificed and serial histologic sections were made on the enucleated globes. Fibroblasts and collagen were found in the vitreous. In additional eyes, the altered vitreous was removed and examined by gel electrophoresis following limited pepsin digestion. Type I collagen was an important component of vitreous fibrosis. In contrast, only type II collagen was detected in normal vitreous. The collagen formation after hemorrhagic injury may follow a similar process of wound healing in other tissues.