Silicone oil in the management of giant retinal tears

To evaluate the results of using and removing silicone oil in the management of giant retinal tears, 24 cases of vitrectomy with fluid-silicone oil exchange were reviewed. We did not use cryotherapy in any case. For chorioretinal adherence, we used either endolaser or postoperative external laser and a narrow buckle. The retina was reattached successfully in 22 (91.6%) of the 24 eyes. Of these, visual acuity was 20/200 or better in 18 (75%) eyes. This was significantly better than the preoperative visual acuity (P = .02). After removing the silicone oil in 15 cases, 13 (92.8%) had visual acuities of 20/200 or better, which was considerably better than that of the group in which the silicone oil was not removed (P = .006). We recommend removing the silicone oil and additional peeling of membranes an average of six months postoperatively when the eye is stable.