As part of retinal detachment surgery, the eye is typically filled with a gas bubble or silicone oil bubble. This bubble acts like a balloon inside the eye and helps to keep the retina pushed back against the eye wall so it can heal in its proper place. Gas bubbles spontaneously dissolve over a few weeks whereas silicone oil remains in the eye until removed with another surgery. When retinal detachments are associated with significant scar tissue on the retinal surface, silicone oil is often used since it can remain filling the eyeball for as long as necessary to help the retina to heal properly in place. Currently, two different types of silicone oil (1000 centistoke and 5000 centistoke) are commercially available and have been approved for use in the eye by the Food and Drug Administration. The goal of the study is to compare the outcomes using these two different types of silicone oil.
The retinal detachment will be repaired in a standard fashion. There will be no difference between the way retinal detachments are repaired in this study compared to those not in this study. Patients will be randomly assigned (like a flip of a coin) to receive one of the types of silicone oil. Both types of oil have very similar characteristics. The primary difference is that one type is thicker (more viscous) than the other, analogous to honey in comparison with maple syrup.
