Silicone oils (SO) are used as long-term intraocular tamponades and have an irreplaceable role in vitreoretinal surgery. They can, however, be associated with multiple and potentially severe complications, involving different ocular tissues, in particular retina and cornea. Recent advances in ophthalmic imaging have allowed the precise characterization of retinal and corneal microstructural changes, at a subclinical level. This detailed analysis of SO-related retinal and corneal changes has improved our understanding of their pathogenesis and offer the potential for optimized monitoring and management of patients with SO-filled eyes. This review aims to provide clinicians and ophthalmic scientists with an updated and comprehensive overview of the corneal and retinal changes associated with SO tamponade.
Introduction: The UK Government imposed a COVID19 lockdown (LD) restricting all but essential activities from 24th March 2020. Subsequently, there has been a significant reduction in casualty attendances nationwide including for ophthalmic emergencies. We aim to study the presentation of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) and significant vitreous haemorrhage caused by posterior vitreous detachment (PVD-VH) in three tertiary centres covering most of the North West of England in the 6 weeks before and during the lockdown. Methods: A retrospective multicenter non-randomised consecutive case series study was designed to collect information on all cases of RRD and PVD-VH requiring surgery presenting to the vitreoretinal departments of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, East Lancashire NHS Foundation Trust and the Lancashire NHS Foundation Trust from 11th February to 4th May 2020. Results: A total of 137 eyes of 137 patients were identified between the three centres of which 132 eyes were operated for RRD. Of these, 86 (64.7%) were operated pre-LD compared with 46 eyes (34.8%) during LD. Forty-five out of 86 eyes (52.3%) were macula-off pre-LD compared with 31 out of 46 eyes (67.3%) during LD ( p = 0.06). There was lower proportion of non-PVD related RRD during LD (11 pre-LD to 1 during LD, p = 0.05). PVR was present in four cases during LD compared to 2 before ( p = 0.19). Conclusion: There was a clinically significant reduction in the overall incidence of RRD in our centres with an increase in the proportion of macula-off and proliferative vitreoretinopathy during the LD period compared to a similar period before.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.