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Vitreous body: anatomy, location and function

The vitreous body is the clear gel filling the large space behind the lens. It maintains the shape of the eye, holds the retina in place and transmits light.

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Structures

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Highlighted in the model: Vitreous body. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Vitreous body at a glance

What it is
The vitreous body is the clear gel filling the large space behind the lens.
Location
It lies between the lens and retina, forming most of the volume of the eyeball.
Function
It maintains the shape of the eye, holds the retina in place and transmits light.
Body system
Eye & ear · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA58829 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Contains about 99% water with collagen and hyaluronic acid.
  • Hyaloid canal marks the line of the embryonic hyaloid artery.

Clinical relevance

Vitreous detachment or opacities cause floaters.

Structures next to the vitreous body

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Vitreous body (FMA58829). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §14.1 Sensory Perception. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.