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Perfluorophenanthrene, a liquid fluorocarbon with a specific gravity approximately twice that of water, potentially offers certain advantages as a vitreous substitute in vitreoretinal surgery. To determine its efficacy and safety we first purified it by chemical methods used in the preparation of experimental blood substitutes to a level at which it was not at all or only minimally toxic to culture-grown retinoblastoma cells. Nineteen of 22 vitrectomized eyes of white New Zealand rabbits injected with this purified perfluorophenanthrene showed satisfactory clinical tolerance. Light and electron microscopy showed minimal or no toxic effects in the 19 eyes, although uptake of perfluorophenanthrene by some preretinal cells was observed 28 days after implantation. Postoperative light-adapted electroretinography recordings of eight of the injected eyes showed no significant change. Perfluorophenanthrene injected into the anterior chamber of the rabbit eyes had toxic effects on the cornea. If further experimentations confirm our findings, perfluorophenanthrene may be a suitable transparent high-density liquid for temporary use in surgery to repair retinal detachments.

Fluorosilicone oil, a high specific gravity fluorinated siticene oil, has been recently reevaluated for temporary use in surgery to repair complicated retinal detachments. We evaluated the toxicfty of a low-viscosity 300 centistokes) fluorosilicone oil as a vitreous substitute in vitrectomized eyes of albino rabbits. No toxicrties could be demonstrated by histopathologic and electroretinographic examinations 6 weeks following surgery. In vitro experiments also showed no toxic effects on cultured retinoblastoma cells. When fluorosilicone oil was injected into the anterior chamber, endothelial cell damage could be seen 2 weeks following injection. Low-viscosity fluorosilicone oil appears to be a safe vitreous substitute for temporary use; it is easily injected and removed, and it maintains adequate surface tension for intraocular tamponade. Because of its relative low viscosity, 300-cst fluorosilicone oil (FS) may be a better vitreous substitute than perfluorocarbon liquids for both intraoperative manipulation of the retina and short-term intraocular tamponade for complicated retinal detachments.