Oil treatment for retina detachment

[Jen12321]

My brother had a severe eye injury that destroyed his cornea and also caused serious retina detachment.  Because the bleeding, Drs couldn’t see inside of the eye to do surgery except wait.  After 4 months  2  Drs, one specialized in Retina Detachment and the other in Cornea Replacemnt, worked together. We all think it’s a miracle that he can see again, although very limited vision. He now has oil in the eye with a replaced cornea.  The Cornea Dr told my brother when they take the oil out, the cornea will have problem (swallen ?)   How long can oil be ‘safely’ left in the eye?  Will he need new cornea again ?  His other eye is totally blind and this is the only hope to ‘see’.  Please advise!? Thanks
Jen12321

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Silicone oil is needed to keep the retina attached while it heals.  It can also cause damage to the cornea.  The main concern is the retina.  A cornea can be replaced completely or partially (DSEK).

Sometime oil is left indefinitely in the eye.

Dr. O.

[jefelex]

I'm far from knowlegable about this, but I think the reason the Dr's have to leave the oil in the eye is because the shape of the cornea is partly determined by the pressure of the vitrous and aqueous humor (fluid) in the eye that is naturally there.  I heard that vitreous humor does not regrow (the fluid) so that the oil substance is there to help replace the humors and maintain the shape of the eyeball. The aqueous humor on the other hand, is the clear fluid in front of the lens between the lens and the cornea itself - in a normal eye, it is manufactured all the time by the glands in the eye, and the excess is channeled out of the eyeball by tiny channels between the cornea and the white part of the eye.  It is VERY complicated, as is any other part of the human body - look up on Brittanica.com about eyes and get a brief overview.  I was reading about it in another book and the very fact that anyone can see at all is so amazing and so so complicated, that it is just mind blowing!