Liquid silicone in the treatment of retinal detachment

Abstract

Liquid silicone was used in the surgical treatment of 46 eyes with complex retinal detachment. Forty-six eyes have been followed up for at least 6 months. In 27 of these eyes (58.7%) the retina was totally or partially attached at the 6-month follow-up. Visual improvement was found in 20 of the 46 eyes (43.5%). These results are encouraging considering the poor prognosis of the operated eyes. There were few severe complications during an observation time of 6 months. Liquid silicone was found to be a valuable help in the surgical treatment of severe forms of retinal detachment.

Silicone oil induced glaucoma: A review

“…First reported by Cibis [36], the rates of intraocular pressure range from 2.2% in 6 months [13] to 56% in 8 months [25]. Reports in the 1970s and 1980s [5-7, 25, 26, 37, 39, 40] suggested a higher rate of development of glaucoma, while recent reports [9,10,40,41] have documented a somewhat lower prevalence due to several recent developments and change in concepts [10].…”

“…Silicone oil in the anterior chamber Emulsification of the silicone oil in the microglobules has been associated with a rise in the IOP [13,18,29,44,45]. It has been hypothesised that the microglobules mechanically obstruct the trabecular meshwork or are toxic to the outflow apparatus.…”

“…It has been associated with complications including cataract, keratopathy, anterior chamber oil emulsification and glaucoma [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Secondary glaucoma can occur at any time in the postoperative period, and may range from mild and transient [10,13] to severe and sustained intraocular pressure(IOP) spikes, resulting in loss of vision [14]. There are four different pathogeneses for intraocular pressure elevation with silicone oil that may require different therapies.…”

Is There a Role for Long-Term Silicone Oil Tamponade for More than Twelve Months in Vitreoretinal Surgery?

“…It has been hypothesised that these microglobules mechanically obstruct the trabecular meshwork. First reported by Cibis et al [1], the rates of raised IOP range from 2.2% in 6 months [47] to 56% in 8 months [48]. Valone and McCarthy [49] have documented a somewhat lower prevalence of about 10%, which they attributed to improved manufacturing and the absence of low-molecular-weight silicone oil.…”

Long-Lasting Endotamponades in Vitreoretinal Surgery

“…The rate has been shown to range from 2.2 to 56% [35,36]. The development of new concepts for silicone endotamponade has helped to reduce this prevalence for elevated IOP [37].…”