One-Month versus 3-Month Heavy Silicone Oil Tamponade in Complex Rhegmatogenous Retinal Redetachment

The aim of the study was to compare functional and anatomical results after 1- vs. 3-month heavy silicone oil (HSO) tamponade to repair complex inferior recurrent rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (Re-RRD).

A retrospective, comparative, cohort study was conducted involving 46 eyes from 46 patients who were affected by complex inferior Re-RRD and had previously undergone tamponade with either gas or silicone oil. All the eyes were treated using HSO (Densiron® 68), which was removed after 1 (group A) or 3 months (group B). The outcomes included the attachment rate, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and intraocular pressure (IOP), comparing these results at 3, 6, and 12 months after HSO removal.

Out of 46 eyes that experienced a complex inferior Re-RRD after initial surgery and received HSO, 24 were in group A and 22 in group B, with HSO removal after 1 and 3 months, respectively. The reattachment rates were similar: 91.6% for group A and 81.8% for group B (p = 0.4). In group A, a significant visual gain occurred during all follow-up (p < 0.001); in group B, the significant improvement (p ≤ 0.03) was lost at 12 months. Mean BCVA was better in group A than B at 6 and 12 months (p ≤ 0.02). Group B exhibited a significant increase in mean IOP after 3 months (p < 0.001), consistently exceeding the values observed in group A throughout the follow-up (p ≤ 0.002). Macular edema occurred in 7 eyes, with no notable differences between the groups.

A 1-month HSO endotamponade has a similar reattachment rate but provides better visual recovery and controlled IOP than a 3-month endotamponade in complex Re-RRD with inferior involvement.