Visual Outcomes and Refractive Status after Combined Silicone Oil Removal/Cataract Surgery with Intraocular Lens Implantation

Purpose: To evaluate refractive status and identify predictors of surgical success following a combined silicone oil removal/cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation procedure. Methods: In this single-armed, retrospective study, we reviewed patients who underwent vitreoretinal surgery followed by a combined silicone oil removal/cataract surgery procedure between 2009 and 2013. Preoperative data included patient demographics, refractive status, IOL power, and axial length (measured with the IOL Master). Postoperative data were obtained from the 8-week follow-up visit and from the last follow-up visit attended that included refractive error (RE) evaluation (e.g., myopic, hyperopic, and astigmatic). Associations between variables and refractive status were examined. Blindness was defined as a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) worse than 3/60. Results: Nighty-eight eyes were ultimately included in analyses. Following surgery, 37.0% of eyes achieved BCVA better than 6/18. The incidence of blindness (BCVA worse than 3/60) was reduced from 47.0% before surgery to 17.3% after surgery. Additionally, 33.7% of eyes did not require refractive correction. Forty-two percent of eyes were under-corrected (>0.5 D hyperopia) following surgery. Age, gender, silicone oil viscosity, axial length, IOL type, initial vitreoretinal pathology, surgeon, and IOL calculation formula were not significantly associated with surgical outcomes (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: A combined silicone oil removal/cataract surgery with IOL implantation procedure restored functional vision in approximately one-third of cases. However, nearly half of patients were under-corrected. Unfortunately, we did not identify any factors that predicted surgical success.