Comparison of silicone oil removal with passive drainage alone versus passive drainage combined with air-fluid exchange

Purpose: To compare silicone oil removal with passive drainage alone versus passive drainage combined with air-fluid exchange in regard to floaters. Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients who were seen at the Retina Center in St. Louis, Missouri between May 1996 and May 1999 and underwent silicone oil removal were requested to complete a mailed questionnaire regarding the presence of floaters. The medical records of the 21 patients (22 eyes) who returned the questionnaire were also reviewed retrospectively for clinical evidence of floaters if they were identified in the postoperative fundus examination. Results: Fifteen patients (16 eyes) (73%) reported floaters after silicone oil removal. Three (14%) of these eyes also had clinical evidence of floaters on postoperative fundus examination. Univariate analyses of primary eye disease other than proliferative diabetic retinopathy, duration of silicone oil retention in the eye, and final visual acuity were not associated with the patients' reported incidence of floaters. No patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy reported floaters after silicone oil removal. Silicone oil removal procedure (i.e., removal with passive drainage alone or passive drainage combined with air-fluid exchange) did not influence the reported occurrence of floaters (P = 0.65). Conclusion: Silicone oil removal is often associated with floaters from residual oil droplets. There is no difference in the incidence of floaters seen after silicone oil removal with passive drainage alone versus passive drainage combined with air-fluid exchange.