Refractive outcomes following simultaneous silicone oil removal and ciliary sulcus intraocular lens implantation.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the refractive outcomes following the combined intervention of silicon oil (SO) removal and ciliary sulcus intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in aphakic eyes after phacovitrectomy.

Methods: A retrospective examination of medical records from patients who underwent a combined procedure of SO removal and ciliary sulcus IOL implantation from 2019 to 2022 was performed. The primary outcomes of interest included uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), predictive error (PE) and mean absolute predictive error (MAE). Subgroup analyses were performed to compare outcomes between patients with and without intraoperative posterior capsulotomy.

Results: The cohort comprised 40 eyes from 40 patients, with a mean duration of SO tamponade of 5.17 ± 1.48 months. A significant improvement in UDVA was observed from 1.58 ± 0.31 logMAR to 0.99 ± 0.31 logMAR one month postoperatively (P < 0.01). The PE was -0.73 ± 0.86 diopters (D), and the MAE was 0.90 ± 0.67 D, with 37.50% and 57.50% of cases achieving PE within ±0.5 D and ±1.0 D, respectively. No significant differences in UDVA, PE, or MAE were found between the capsulotomy and non-capsulotomy subgroups (all P > 0.05). However, a lower proportion of eyes in the capsulotomy group achieved PE within ±1.0 D compared to the non-capsulotomy group one month postoperatively (38.90% vs. 72.70%, P = 0.03).

Conclusions: The combined procedure of SO removal and sulcus IOL implantation resulted in a mild myopic shift in postoperative refraction. Intraoperative posterior capsulotomy seems to increase the lability of postoperative refractive outcomes.