Purpose: To investigate whether intravitreal injection of hyaluronidase can induce posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in the rabbit.
Methods: One eye each of 12 New Zealand white rabbits received intravitreal injection via the pars plana of 20 IU of hyaluronidase (0.1 mL reconstituted in sterile balanced salt solution [BSS]) into the midvitreous cavity. The fellow eye of each rabbit received a vitreous injection of 0.1 mL of BSS. At 3 and 6 months after intravitreal injection, four and eight rabbits were killed, respectively, and the eyes were enucleated. After fixation, scanning electron microscopy was performed to study the vitreoretinal interface.
Results: At 3 and 6 months after injection, scanning electron microscopy showed that the retinal surfaces in eyes that received either hyaluronidase or BSS were covered with vitreous collagen fibers. No eyes, even those that received hyaluronidase over a period of 6 months, had the smooth retinal surface consistent with a bare internal limiting lamina that suggests the development of PVD.
Conclusion: Hyaluronidase cannot induce PVD in the rabbit over a 6-month period after vitreous injection.