FEB 12, 2019
Removing Oil Adhesion from Silicone IOLs
1-Minute Video
01:23
Cataract/Anterior Segment, Complications, Retina/Vitreous
In this 1-Minute Video, Dr. Steven Siepser describes a new maneuver to remove silicone “bubble” contamination from silicone implants following retinal repairs using silicone oil. Patients are often tremendously handicapped by the loss of vision when this happens, because oil has a refractive index far different from aqueous and vitreous. To restore vision, most surgeons typically replace contaminated silicon IOLs with an acrylic lens.
To avoid an IOL exchange, Dr. Siepser uses a 2-handed irrigation-aspiration handpiece to vacuum off all visible silicone from the anterior and posterior surfaces of the lens. A Terry squeegee and a Whitman debrider are used to burnish the surface, eliminating almost all the residual silicone. Despite a small inferior area that still had some adherent silicone, the maneuver resulted in a pristine appearing IOL. The patient reported complete resolution of glare and ghosting and achieved his maximum visual potential of 20/50.
In this particular case, Adato Sil-OI-Silicone Oil (Bausch + Lomb) was used to repair the retinal detachment in an eye with a Silicone Crystalens IOL (Bausch + Lomb). This technique has not been tested with other silicone oil brands.
Relevant Financial Disclosures: None