Intraocular lens style and refraction in eyes treated with silicone oil.

The comparatively high refractive index of silicone oil significantly alters the refractive power of the human eye when it is placed into the vitreous cavity during retinal reattachment surgery. If cataract extraction and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation are subsequently performed, significant refractive errors result with most IOL styles if standard formulas are used to determine lens power. Thick-lens optical analysis of four IOL styles showed that the meniscus style yields the smallest difference between predicted (Binkhorst, Sanders-Retzlaff-Kraff formulas) and actual postoperative refraction. This IOL style also minimizes the change in refractive error that accompanies subsequent alterations in the contents of the vitreous cavity, including removal of silicone oil and replacement with balanced salt solution.