Comparative Evaluation of High- versus Low-Viscosity Silicone Oil in Macula-Off Retinal Detachment: Emulsification, Inflammation, and AI-Assisted Biomarker Detection.

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the emulsification rates, intraocular pressure (IOP) changes, and retinal hyperreflective foci (HRF) between low-viscosity (1,000 cS) and high-viscosity (5,000 cS) silicone oils (SOs) used as tamponade agents following 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in cases of naïve macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment using an artificial intelligence (AI)-based quantification approach.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in eyes treated with PPV and SO tamponade. The clinical parameters that were assessed included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), IOP, the presence of emulsification in the iridocorneal angle - in the anterior or posterior chambers, and structural retinal biomarkers such as intraretinal fluid, subretinal fluid, and HRF detected and quantified through an AI-based analysis of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) images.

Results: Twenty-five eyes were enrolled (12 with 1,000-cS SO and 13 with 5,000-cS SO endotamponades) for this study. No statistically significant differences in BCVA or anatomical outcomes between the two groups were found. However, SO emulsification occurred more often in the 1,000-cS group (66%) compared to the 5,000-cS group (7%) (p = 0.0036). Elevated IOP was more frequent in the 1,000-cS group (8 vs. 4 cases; p = 0.03), and HRF count was significantly higher in eyes with 1,000-cS oil (p = 0.04).

Conclusion: High-viscosity SO demonstrated a lower emulsification rate and reduced inflammatory response compared to low-viscosity SO, with no compromise in visual outcomes. AI-assisted OCT analysis enabled an accurate, automated detection of HRF, supporting its utility in monitoring SO-related complications.