The Impact of Delayed Silicone Oil Removal on Visual Acuity after Pars Plana Vitrectomy: A Cross-sectional Study

This study aimed to compare the effects of delayed silicone oil (SO) removal on visual acuity (VA) in eyes that underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and oil injection for retinal detachment (RD) or vitreous hemorrhage (VH) with patients who retained SO tamponade for longer periods of time.

This was a retrospective analysis of 212 consecutive eyes that underwent PPV and had SO tamponade for more than one year. Phakic eyes also underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation at the same surgery, rendering all cases pseudophakic. The cases were followed up post-operatively, and VA data were documented before SO, with SO, and after SO, if removed.

RD was the indication for surgery in 165 eyes (77.8%), while 47 (22.2%) underwent PPV and SO injection for VH. The difference in VA gain was statistically significant between RD cases who had SO removal and those who had not (P= 0.047). Meanwhile, the difference was not statistically significant in the VH group.

In this cohort of patients who underwent PPV and SO injection, delayed oil removal in cases operated for RD repair resulted in an improvement in VA despite prolonged oil tamponade for one year or more, compared to similar patients who still had the SO in situ. For VH cases, this effect was less pronounced.