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Eye Health Glossary

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visual acuity

A measure of the eye's ability to distinguish fine details (most often measured by assessing readability of the lines of a standard eye chart from a distance of 20 feet (6 meters) for distance vision and 16 inches (40 cm) for near vision. “Perfect vision” is currently accepted as a visual acuity of 20/20.

visual cortex

The area at the back of the brain (within the occipital lobe) that is responsible for processing visual information.

visual field

The entire area in visual space that can be viewed simultaneously while the eye is fixed on a target (eg. straight ahead).

vitrectomy

Complete removal of the vitreous. Such a surgical procedure is often delayed until there is significant impact on vision by a cloudy or blood-filled vitreous. Once the vitreous is removed, a clear fluid replaces it to maintain the structure of the eyeball.

vitreous

A thick transparent gel that fills the area of the eyeball between the retina and the crystalline lens. With age, vitreous begins to lose its uniform gel consistency and separates into water and an increasingly solid-like mass that tends to migrate towards the lens, pulling the retina with it at certain points where there is a strong attachment between the retina and the vitreous (such as the macula and the optic nerve head. Posterior vitreous detachment occurs when the vitreous pulls away from the retina and produces debris that is seen as floaters.

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