Effects of Refractive Accommodation on Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Silicone Oil-Filled Eyes

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of refractive accommodation on subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in silicone oil (SO)-filled eyes.METHODS: This retrospective, self-comparative study was conducted on 40 patients with unilateral macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, who underwent vitrectomy and SO tamponade. The SFCT of SO-filled eyes and the fellow control eyes were measured using optical coherence tomography at their one-month visit after surgery. The patients wore soft contact positive lenses for 24 hours in the SO-filled eyes, to correct their refractive error. SFCT and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were measured before and after wearing the contact lenses. Mean SFCT was compared between SO-filled eyes and the fellow control eyes, and SFCT and CVI were compared before and after refractive error correction in the SO-filled eyes.RESULTS: Mean SFCT of SO-filled eyes (221.52±38.41 um) was less than that of the fellow eyes (273.41±31.30 um) (P<0.001). After refractive error correction, the mean SFCT increased to 269.28±36.90 um(P <0.001). However, CVI decreased from 57.01±2.41 to 55.39±2.39 (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: SFCT reduction in SO-filled eyes was primarily due to the hyperopia status. The non-uniform change in CVI suggests that changes in CT are mainly attributed to a greater expansion of the stromal area instead of the choroidal vascular area.