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Silicone oil is used in the treatment of complex retinal detachments, but late complications have been reported by many authors. Silicone oil removal (SOR) is therefore performed in order to reduce these complications. SOR was investigated in 63 consecutive cases. All these eyes had had a totally attached retina for at least 3 months before SOR was performed, there were no signs of traction or reproliferation, and the minimum vision was 4/200. The duration of silicone oil tamponade was less than 6 months in 13 eyes, 6-12 months in 18 and more than 1 year in 32 eyes. In post-traumatic and diabetic cases it was possible to remove silicone oil after 8 to 10 months and in PVR cases after 14 months. Redetachment of the retina was the most frequent complication of SOR, appearing in 18/63 eyes; 16 of them were refilled. In 9 eyes, the visual acuity present before silicone oil removal was reestablished. The redetachment rate was similar in PVR, diabetes and trauma cases and had no correlation with the duration of silicone oil tamponade. Increased intraocular pressure was observed in 13 eyes before SOR but it returned to normal levels afterwards in 8 cases without further surgery. The results of our study show that even if the indication is established very carefully, SOR results in a relatively high rate of complications, such as redetachment of the retina. Therefore every case undergoing this procedure must be evaluated in detail.