The question of ocular tolerance to intravitreal liquid silicone. A long-term analysis.

The authors report a retrospective review of 407 eyes that received intravitreal liquid silicone between 1961 and 1984. Initial anatomical success was noted in 270 eyes (66.3%), while initial functional success was achieved in 103 eyes (25.3%). Ten years postoperatively, approximately half of the eyes with initial functional success still had functional vision (49.2%). These eyes had less advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy and fewer inferior breaks than others. Recurrent retinal detachment rather than late complications was the predominant cause of functional failure in those eyes losing functional vision in less than ten years postoperatively. Late complications were common and frequently required therapeutic intervention. Intravitreal liquid silicone was of great benefit to many monocular patients, but of little benefit to the binocular patients in our series.