Long-term heavy silicone oil intraocular tamponade

Heavy silicone oil tamponade is intended to be temporary, but may occasionally be indefinite in patients who refuse, or are deemed unsuitable for, further surgery. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of patients with temporary versus indefinite heavy silicone oil intraocular tamponade. This retrospective, comparative case series identified 75 patients who underwent heavy silicone oil instillation (Oxane HD) over a 6 year period (2006–2012) in one institution. Thirty-nine patients had temporary heavy oil tamponade and 36 patients had indefinite tamponade. The majority (68 %) of patients had a history of previous vitreoretinal surgery prior to oil instillation and 66.7 % had pre-existing proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The mean final logMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was significantly better in the temporary tamponade group (1.34 ± 0.66) than the indefinite tamponade group 1.82 ± 0.64 (p = 0.003). Ambulatory BCVA (≥4/200) was retained in 76.3 % of temporary tamponade patients versus 54.3 % of indefinite tamponade patients (p = 0.093). Successful retinal reattachment was significantly more likely in temporary tamponade patients (92.3 %) than indefinite tamponade patients (75 %; p = 0.04). Complications in the patients with indefinite heavy silicone oil tamponade included redetachment (38.9 %), corneal pathology (13.8 %), secondary glaucoma (11.1 %) and anterior segment emulsification (8.3 %).While temporary tamponade patients had better outcomes than those with indefinite tamponade, the majority of indefinite tamponade patients still retained ambulatory vision in the affected eye. Indefinite heavy silicone oil tamponade remains a viable option for those who cannot undergo removal of oil surgery.