Intraocular Silicone Oil Masquerading as Eye Hemorrhage

Abstract

An 87-year-old man presented to the emergency department complaining of a frontal head injury. Brain computed tomography scan revealed hyperdensity in the vitreous cavity of the right eye, suggesting intraocular hemorrhage. The patient’s family reported that he had a history of retinal detachment, which was presumably treated by tamponade with silicone oil. Eye examination by an ophthalmologist indicated no vitreous or retinal hemorrhage. Since intraocular silicone oil is being increasingly used for treatment of retinal detachment, emergency physicians must become familiar with its unique characteristic of mimicking hemorrhage in medical imaging.