Medical management of silicone oil associated acute postoperative ocular inflammation

We report a case of a 57-year-old man, who underwent right eye silicone oil injection as a part of his surgical treatment for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Following this, on the first postoperative day, he developed acute postoperative intraocular inflammation. There was circumciliary congestion, diffuse corneal oedema, anterior chamber (AC) reaction, hypopyon and a pupillary membrane. The AC had not been entered during the surgery. No patients, who had been operated on the same day, or with the materials having the same batch number, developed similar reactions. We started the patient on hourly topical steroids and cycloplegics after which the patient's condition showed gradual improvement. At the 2 weeks follow-up appointment, his pupillary membrane had completely contracted and the AC was quiet. This case highlights a clinical picture of acute postoperative silicone oil-induced ocular inflammation, which was resolved through medical management.