Silicone oil removal. II. Operative and postoperative complications.

A retrospective study of the effects of silicone oil removal was carried out on 85 patients who had undergone pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil exchange for giant retinal tears or proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Silicone oil was removed either as part of the treatment of anterior segment complications such as glaucoma and keratopathy (25 patients) or in order to prevent these complications (60 patients). The major complications of the removal of silicone oil were retinal redetachment (25%), hypotony (16%), and expulsive haemorrhage (1%). The length of time that the oil remained in the eye and the presence of anterior segment complications did not appear to have an effect on the rate of retinal redetachment or hypotony.