Reliability of the IOLMaster in axial length evaluation in silicone oil-filled eyes.

PURPOSE: To assess the reliability of IOLMaster in axial length (AL) measurement in phakic silicone oil-filled vs pseudophakic saline-filled eyes.

METHODS

Ten eyes of 10 patients, vitrectomized with silicone oil tamponade and scleral buckled with significant lens opacity were enrolled. Optical biometry with IOLMaster (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Germany) was performed 1 day before and 1 week after silicone oil removal and phacoemulsification with artificial intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in order to assess changes in AL measurements.

RESULTS

Mean AL was 26.16+/-1.23 mm (range 24.64-28.8 mm) and 26.27+/-1.46 mm (range 25.26-29.6 mm), respectively, the day before and 1 week after silicone oil removal and cataract surgery, and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.2).

CONCLUSIONS

Presence vs absence of silicone oil tamponade as well as phakic vs pseudophakic status in buckled and vitrectomized eyes did not influence the AL measurement by means of no-contact optical biometry, suggesting that such eyes might be candidate for silicone oil removal and cataract surgery at one time.