Silicone oil and fluorosilicone

Silicone oil has been used to fill the vitreous cavity for long-term or permanent internal tamponade in eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy or complicated retinal detachment due to ocular trauma, giant retinal tears, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and cytomegalovirus retinitis. Reports from the Silicone Study confirmed its efficacy in the treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy and addressed outcome differences in vitrectomized and nonvitrectomized eyes, combined retinotomy, silicone oil removal, and complications associated with silicone oil tamponade, such as intraocular pressure abnormalities and corneal abnormalities. Because silicone oil is lighter than water and not adequate in supporting the inferior quadrants, several heavier-than-water materials have been introduced for intraocular tamponade. Silicone oil can be a potential vehicle for delivering antiproliferative agents to treat proliferative vitreoretinopathy.