[Long-term follow-up and prognostic analysis on the silicone oil-dependent eyes]

To study on the outcome of the eyes with silicone oil tamponade retrospectively, and to observe ocular complications and prognosis after long-term intraocular silicone oil tamponade.

Retrospective observational case series. 36 patients (37 eyes) with silicone oil tamponade for over 2 years without removal were analyzed from 1992 to 2005 in our hospital. The patients were 30 males (31 eyes) and 6 females (6 eyes); age ranged from one year and 2 months to 73 years old. The lasted time of silicone oil tamponade were from 2 to 13 years. 37 eyes were all open ocular trauma, including traumatic eyeball rupture 24 eyes, intraocular foreign body 5 eyes, ocular perforating injury 3 eyes and penetrating injury 5 eyes. Vitrectomy, retinotomy and retinectomy, retinal photocoagulation and silicone oil tamponade were performed in different patients.

Complete retinal attachment was seen in 13 eyes (35.1%); partly retinal attachment was accomplished in 11 eyes; retinal detachment with silicone oil tamponade was revealed in 7 eyes. Visual acuity in 9 eyes was better than 0.01 (24.3%), the best vision acuity was 0.1 among all of patients. The complications in the long-term follow-up included: cornea band-shaped degeneration 13 eyes (35.1%); complete corneal opacity 6 eyes; silicone emulsification 17 eyes (45.9%); secondary glaucoma 2 eyes; cataract 4 eyes, without obvious complications 8 eyes (21.6%).

Long-term intraocular silicone oil tamponade will be adaptive and rational in serious ocular trauma if no other better treatments can maintain retinal attachment and the appearance of eyeball.