The current standard of care for treating these adhesions is pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), which involves surgically removing the vitreous from the eye.

[citation needed] Over time, it is common for the vitreous within the human eye to liquify and collapse in processes known as syneresis and synchisis respectively.

[citation needed] If the separation of the vitreous from the retina is not complete, areas of focal attachment or adhesions can occur, i.e. a VMA.

It is important to note that while the VMA itself is not dangerous, the resultant pulling on the retina called vitreomacular traction (VMT) causes the above damage.

[citation needed] Mechanism of Action: Ocriplasmin is a truncated human plasmin with proteolytic activity against protein components of the vitreous body and vitreoretinal interface.

Additionally, PPV may result in incomplete separation, and it may potentially leave a nidus for vasoactive and vasoproliferative substances, or it may induce development of fibrovascular membranes.

Pharmacologic vitreolysis is an improvement over invasive surgery as it induces complete separation, creates a more physiologic state of the vitreomacular interface, prevents the development of fibrovascular membranes, is less traumatic to the vitreous, and is potentially prophylactic.

[18] A systematic review found high-certainty evidence that Ocriplasmin compared to no treatment increases the chance of resolution and improves vision in people with symptomatic VMA.