Silicone Oil–Associated Extensive Intraocular Ossification: A case report

Abstract

Background: Intraocular ossification is an uncommon calcium deposition process associated with trauma, chronic inflammation, tumor, and long-standing retinal detachment. This is the first reported extensive intraocular bone formation associated with silicone oil. Case presentation: A 30-year-old Han Chinese man came to us with complaint of red, painful blind right eye. He had a history of ocular trauma, retinal detachment, and two failed retinal reattachment surgeries with silicone oil left in the eye. On examination, conjunctiva congestion, band keratopathy, silicone oil emulsification, and limbus neovascularization were found. B-scan ultrasound and computed tomography scanning demonstrated retinal detachment and calcification of the eyeball wall. Histopathological analysis indicated ossification overlying the choroid. Evisceration was finally operated to relieve the pain. Conclusion: The retention of silicone oil in the eye probably accelerates the ossification. Timely silicone oil removal and evisceration should be recommended if necessary for phthisis bulbi.

Rapid pre-retinal ossification presenting as a vascularized lesion over an area of chronic retinal detachment

“…It is also interesting that although literature suggests that bone tissue in the eye requires decades to develop, 4 , 5 our patient was followed over the span of eight years, and significant changes in the appearance of the membrane were only noticed in the final year. It is unclear whether the presence of silicone oil accelerated ossification, as one report suggested, 4 or whether it was simply a bystander, as our patient only had a trace amount of silicone oil in the eye prior to her latest surgery.…”

“…It is also interesting that although literature suggests that bone tissue in the eye requires decades to develop, 4 , 5 our patient was followed over the span of eight years, and significant changes in the appearance of the membrane were only noticed in the final year. It is unclear whether the presence of silicone oil accelerated ossification, as one report suggested, 4 or whether it was simply a bystander, as our patient only had a trace amount of silicone oil in the eye prior to her latest surgery. This also suggests that not all intraocular ossification processes are the same, and pre-retinal ossification might be different and occur faster than intra- or sub-retinal ones, likely due to the different extracellular environment once it is no longer surrounded by retinal tissue.…”

“… 1 , 2 , 3 Given pain and poor vision, these eyes have usually eventuated to evisceration. 4 , 5 , 6 Ossification was mostly discovered in enucleated eyes and often appeared sub- or intra-retinal, as it is thought to arise from the pluripotency of the retinal pigment epithelium. 7 , 8 Since those studies were done with enucleated eyes, there is little known about the chronology of events leading to ossification, their impact on vision, or their management.…”

Subepithelial white deposition in the cornea associated with silicone oil and surgical management: a case report

“…B-scan ultrasound and computed tomography scanning showed retinal detachment and calcification of the eyeball wall. Evisceration was finally performed to relieve the painful, blind eye (19). Hence, the patient's symptoms and purpose are important clues for our diagnosis and treatment.…”