Medical silicone oil is polydimethylsiloxane, colorless transparent liquid, chemically stable, non-toxic, harmless to human body, its physical and chemical properties depend on the length of the silicone chain and the nature of its side and end groups, the longer the chain the greater the viscosity. Specific gravity 0.96-0.98, lighter than water, injected into the eye floating above the vitreous cavity, with crystalline eyes injected, can produce +5.0D farsightedness, aphakic eyes can offset part of the aphakic refractive state. Low viscosity silicone oil is easy to inject but emulsifies easily in the eye, while high viscosity is the opposite.
However, silicone oil injection into the vitreous cavity can produce some complications, such as cataracts. After silicone oil filling, the crystal is bound to be cloudy, and cataract removal IOL implantation is feasible when it affects vision. Some scholars also remove the clear lens at the same time when filling with silicone oil. Since silicone oil can produce many serious complications and needs to be removed by surgery again, its clinical application is limited to very serious cases. However, it has its advantages for patients with diabetic retinopathy, mainly because silicone oil can be used for a long time to partially compress the retina, the position requirements are not as strict as gas, the effect of hemostasis is better than gas, and the postoperative period can be supplemented with photocoagulation at any time. It is most suitable for elderly and frail patients who cannot adopt the prone position. The indications for end-operative silicone oil filling are mainly severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy combined with retinal detachment of pulling or porous origin, and those who are not suitable for gas filling need to be injected with silicone oil. In addition, if the retinal defect is large and the IOP is not easy to maintain, silicone oil can be filled to keep the eye stable.
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