1000 cSt silicone oil vs heavy silicone oil as intraocular tamponade in retinal detachment associated to myopic macular hole

Background Several surgical techniques have been described for the treatment of retinal detachment (RD) associated to myopic macular hole (MMH). In this retrospective study, the anatomical and functional outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with long-term tamponade, using either 1000 cSt silicone oil (SO) or heavy silicone oil (HSO), are compared. Methods Forty-two eyes affected by RD associated with MMH were included. The surgical technique involved standard 3-port 20-gauge PPV with long-term tamponade. The patients were divided into two groups, according to the intraocular tamponade: SO in group 1 (n=17), and HSO in group 2 (n=25). Internal limiting membrane (ILM) removal was performed in 15 cases of group 1 and 20 cases of group 2. Tamponade removal was performed 2 to 5 months after primary surgery. The patients were assessed 1 week and 1 month after primary surgery, and then 1 week and 1 month after tamponade removal or after further surgery if macular redetachment had occurred. The patients were also visited every 2 months for at least 1 year after final tamponade removal. Follow-up was considered closed at 1 year after final tamponade removal. Results Preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), expressed as LogMar, was 2.8±0.77 for group 1 and 2.1±0.94 for group 2. At the last visit, the BCVA was 1.41±0.96 and 1.48±0.77 for groups 1 and 2 respectively. Retinal reattachment was achieved with one operation in 13 eyes of group 1 (76.5%) and 18 of group 2 (81.8%) (P=0.69). The average number of surgery needed to achieve retinal attachment by patients of group 1 and 2 was respectively 1.36±0.63 and 1.46±0.59 (P=0.77). Five patients of group 1 and four of group 2 developed a chronic glaucoma (P=0.238). Conclusions PPV with ILM peeling and long-term tamponade was demonstrated to be a good surgical option to treat RD due to MMH; SO and HSO seemed to be equally effective, although the success rates remained far from an ideal 100%.