Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) characterized with formation of fibro-cellular epiretinal membranes composed of extracellular matrix proteins and cells. PVR presents with a spectrum of severity ranging from subtle retinal wrinkling to funnel type total rigid retinal detachment. PVR is the major cause of failure in surgery to rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. There exists play between various cytokines/growth factors, and the different cell types that drive the undesirable formation of periretinal membranes. This fundamental understanding is aiding in identifying different adjunct agents that can block the cellular events intrinsic to PVR. In this review, we describe the current understanding on the pathogenesis and discuss how the fundamental understanding of the cellular/molecular events is instrumental in developing the novel treatment strategies and current surgical trends that are also mentioned.