Some ultrastructural aspects of the vitreoretinal juncture.

The ultrastructural study of the vitreoretinal juncture was carried out by comparing two groups of patients: 6 young subjects under 25 years and 6 older subjects over 70. Retinal samples were taken from the posterior pole, the equator and the extreme periphery. Our work shows that the morphological modifications of the vitreoretinal juncture during the aging process vary following location. The most original alteration, never observed before, appears in the equatorial region: it consists of a widening of the intercell space filled with fibrils adhering to Müller's cells. It builds up an adhesion zone between the vitreous and the retina which is not visible during clinical investigations; it can create a tear during the posterior vitreous detachment.