Physical properties of experimental vitreous membranes. I. Tensile strength.

The tensile strength of vitreous membranes, induced by silk sutures imbedded in the vitreous body and removed one to two weeks later, was investigated in rabbits. Three types of membranes were distinguished by their appearance under an operating microscope; dense, opaque, cylindrical membranes, (Type 1), broken with 2 to 16 Gm. of force and elongated from 127 to 200 per cent before breaking; thin, cylindrical membranes, (Type 2), broken with 200 mg. to 2 Gm. of force and elongated from 51 to 152 per cent before breaking; and thin film-like membranes imbedded in formed vitreous gel, (Type 3), broken with 200 mg. to 5.5 Gm. of force and elongated from 53 to 186 per cent before breaking. Vitreous membranes formed two to eight weeks after surgery resisted forces greater than those required to detach rabbit retina. The results of the experiment are relevant in the design of vitrectomy instruments.