vitreous

DEFINITION of vitreous

The vitreous (also called the vitreous body, vitreous humor, or corpus vitreum) is a transparent, gelatinous substance that fills the posterior segment of the eyeball — the space between the crystalline lens anteriorly and the retina posteriorly. It comprises approximately 80% of the eye’s total volume and is composed primarily of water (~99%), along with hyaluronic acid, collagen fibrils (type II), and scattered hyalocytes (phagocytic cells). The vitreous serves to maintain the spherical shape of the eye, support the retina against the posterior wall, and allow undistorted transmission of light to the macula. Unlike aqueous humor, vitreous is not continuously replenished — it is largely acellular and avascular. With aging, the gel undergoes liquefaction (synchysis) and collapse (syneresis), often leading to posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), floaters, or, in complicated cases, traction on the retina. During vitrectomy, the vitreous is replaced with saline, gas bubbles, or silicone oil.

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ETYMOLOGY of vitreous

latin From Latin vitreus (“of glass,” “glassy”), derived from vitrum (“glass”). The adjective describes the substance’s hallmark transparency and glass-like clarity, as observed by early anatomists during dissection. The companion word humor (Latin: umor, “fluid, moisture”) reflects the historical four-humors theory of medicine. Together, vitreous humor = “glassy fluid.” The adjective form vitreous was first used in English in the 14th century; the noun form referring to the eye structure dates to 1869 (Merriam-Webster). The prefix vitre-/vitro- appears in related terms such as vitreoretinal and vitritis.

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ALIASES / RELATED TERMS to vitreous

Term	Meaning
Vitreous body (corpus vitreum)	Full anatomical name
Vitreous humor	Common clinical name
Hyaloid body	Older/alternate term (from Greek hyalos = glass)
Vitrectomy	Surgical removal of the vitreous
Intravitreal	Within the vitreous (route of injection)
Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)	Separation of vitreous from retina
Vitreous floaters	Debris/opacities within the vitreous
Synchysis	Liquefaction of vitreous gel
Syneresis	Collapse/shrinkage of the vitreous gel framework
Vitritis	Inflammation within the vitreous (coded H43.89)
Hyaloid membrane	Outer membrane enclosing the vitreous
Retinal detachment	Common complication of vitreous traction/PVD

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CODING CONTEXT

ICD-10-CM

(Vitreous Disorders, Category H43)

Vitreous Prolapse

ICD-10	Description
H43.00	Vitreous prolapse, unspecified eye
H43.01	Vitreous prolapse, right eye
H43.02	Vitreous prolapse, left eye
H43.03	Vitreous prolapse, bilateral

Vitreous Hemorrhage

ICD-10	Description
H43.10	Vitreous hemorrhage, unspecified eye
H43.11	Vitreous hemorrhage, right eye
H43.12	Vitreous hemorrhage, left eye
H43.13	Vitreous hemorrhage, bilateral

Crystalline Deposits / Opacities (Floaters)

ICD-10	Description
H43.391	Other vitreous opacities, right eye
H43.392	Other vitreous opacities, left eye
H43.393	Other vitreous opacities, bilateral
H43.399	Other vitreous opacities, unspecified eye

Vitreous Degeneration / Detachment (PVD)

ICD-10	Description
H43.811	Vitreous degeneration, right eye
H43.812	Vitreous degeneration, left eye
H43.813	Vitreous degeneration, bilateral
H43.819	Vitreous degeneration, unspecified eye

Vitreous Membranes and Strands

ICD-10	Description
H43.311	Vitreous membranes and strands, right eye
H43.312	Vitreous membranes and strands, left eye
H43.313	Vitreous membranes and strands, bilateral
H43.319	Vitreous membranes and strands, unspecified eye

Other / Unspecified

ICD-10	Description
H43.89	Other disorders of vitreous body (includes vitritis)
H43.9	Unspecified disorder of vitreous body

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CPT (Vitreous Procedures)

CPT	Description
67005	Removal of vitreous, anterior approach (open-sky technique or limbal incision)
67010	Removal of vitreous, anterior approach; subtotal removal, pars plana approach
67015	Aspiration or release of vitreous, subretinal or choroidal fluid, pars plana approach
67025	Injection of vitreous substitute, pars plana or limbal approach; fluid-gas exchange, with or without aspiration (separate procedure)
67027	Implantation of intravitreal drug delivery system (e.g., ganciclovir implant), with or without removal of vitreous
67028	Intravitreal injection of a pharmacologic agent (separate procedure)
67036	Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana approach
67039	Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana approach; with focal endolaser photocoagulation
67040	Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana approach; with endolaser panretinal photocoagulation
67041	Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana; with removal of preretinal cellular membrane (e.g., macular pucker)
67042	Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana; with removal of internal limiting membrane of retina
67043	Vitrectomy, mechanical, pars plana; with removal of subretinal membrane (e.g., AMD)

Key Coding Tips

• 67025 (vitreous substitute) is a major surgery with a 90-day global period; 67028 (pharmacologic agent) is a minor procedure with zero global days.
• 67015 is bundled with 67028 per NCCI edits — do not report together for the same eye; report 67015 alone (higher RVU).
• For intravitreal injections, laterality modifiers are critical: -RT (right eye), -LT (left eye), -50 (bilateral — payer-dependent).
• Additional modifiers: -59 or -XE to distinguish separately payable procedures; -78 for return to OR during global; -79 for unrelated procedure during global; -JW for discarded drug waste.
• For bilateral vitrectomy, confirm payer rules — some require two separate line items with -RT/-LT rather than modifier -50.

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DERIVATIONS of vitreous

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Query functionality

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Med roots | Appendix B Combining Forms | Appendix C Suffixes