Purpose: To evaluate the causes of retinal detachment after silicone oil removal, to define possible risk factors and the anatomical and functional prognosis of this complication.
Methods: 112 eyes that underwent silicone oil removal were included. The group of eyes with retinal detachment after oil removal (18/112 eyes, 16.1%) was compared with the group with no postoperative retinal detachment.
Results: The most common cause for retinal detachment after oil removal was anterior PVR (77.8%). Initial PVR detachment, advanced PVR stages, anterior PVR, more preceding operations, aphakia/pseudophakia, myopia and shorter duration of the oil tamponade were significantly more represented in the group of eyes with retinal detachment after oil removal. The prognosis of retinal detachment after oil removal is poor.
Conclusion: Some criteria could be regarded as risk factors for retinal detachment after silicone oil removal. Improvement of the results should be possible by considering these factors and by control of reproliferations.