Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
A Reversible Silicon Oil-Induced Ocular Hypertension Model in Mice
Published on: November 15, 2019
PREDICTIVE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY BIOMARKERS OF RETINAL CHANGES AND VISUAL OUTCOMES IN SILICONE OIL
Lorenzo Ferro Desideri1,2, Nina Eldridge1, Meriam Aissani3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Purpose:
To quantify retinal layer changes and visual outcomes in eyes with silicone oil (SO) endotamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment using optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers and prediction models.
Methods:
Seventy-six eyes with SO endotamponade underwent macular volume OCT at SO insertion and just before SO removal. An automated segmentation tool quantified retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer + inner plexiform layer (GCL + IPL), other retinal layers, and fluid (subretinal fluid, intraretinal fluid). Eyes with and without macular edema (ME) during tamponade were compared. A random forest classifier explored predictors of categorical best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) change (improved, stable, worsened).
Results:
RNFL and GCL + IPL thinned significantly during tamponade (RNFL 35.4 ± 18.1 µ m to 26.9 ± 19.1 µ m; GCL + IPL 74.7 ± 17.4 µ m to 55.8 ± 27.2 µ m), whereas photoreceptor (PR)+retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) showed mild thickening (59.6 ± 12.6 µ m to 61.4 ± 15.0 µ m). Other layers and fluid compartments showed no clinically relevant change. Macular edema occurred in 44/76 eyes (57.9%), but retinal layer changes and BCVA outcomes (improved/stable/worsened) were similar in ME and non-ME groups (χ 2P = 0.94). In the prediction model, RNFL, GCL + IPL, and PR+RPE were the strongest contributors, whereas SO duration and ME status had minimal impact.
Conclusion:
SO endotamponade was associated with selective inner retinal thinning and mild PR+RPE thickening. Postoperative visual recovery depended mainly on inner retinal integrity, supporting OCT-derived layer biomarkers as practical tools for prognostication after SO removal.
