Purpose: To assess the reliability of IOLMaster in axial length (AL) measurement in phakic silicone oil-filled vs pseudophakic saline-filled eyes.
Methods: Ten eyes of 10 patients, vitrectomized with silicone oil tamponade and scleral buckled with significant lens opacity were enrolled. Optical biometry with IOLMaster (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Germany) was performed 1 day before and 1 week after silicone oil removal and phacoemulsification with artificial intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in order to assess changes in AL measurements.
Results: Mean AL was 26.16+/-1.23 mm (range 24.64-28.8 mm) and 26.27+/-1.46 mm (range 25.26-29.6 mm), respectively, the day before and 1 week after silicone oil removal and cataract surgery, and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.2).
Conclusions: Presence vs absence of silicone oil tamponade as well as phakic vs pseudophakic status in buckled and vitrectomized eyes did not influence the AL measurement by means of no-contact optical biometry, suggesting that such eyes might be candidate for silicone oil removal and cataract surgery at one time.