[Removal of silicone oil in treatment of so-called emulsification glaucoma]

We investigated whether emulsification glaucoma after silicone oil implantation can be influenced positively by removal of the oil. In 16 of 264 patients successfully operated upon with purified silicone oil 5000 cps, we found a glaucoma refractory to medical therapy and probably caused by emulsification. We removed the silicone oil from these eyes and followed them up for a period of 6 months (12.5 +/- 7.3 months). In 12 of the 16 eyes, the intraocular pressures were normalized after silicone oil removal with or without antiglaucomatous therapy. Four eyes showed raised intraocular pressures in spite of silicone oil removal. These could, however, be largely explained by neovascularization or chronic inflammation with increasing anterior synechia formation. In eyes with possible emulsification glaucoma, early and thorough removal of the silicone oil is therefore recommended since this can result in normalization of intraocular pressures in a large percentage of cases.