Pseudo-Schnabel's cavernous degeneration of the optic nerve secondary to intraocular silicone oil.

A 29-year-old man sustained severe trauma to his left eye requiring corneoscleral wound repair and retinal detachment repair. Because of a persistent retinal detachment, he underwent vitrectomy and silicone oil implantation into the vitreous cavity. Over the ensuing 2 years 4 months, the eye gradually became glaucomatous, blind, and painful, requiring enucleation. Histopathologic examination revealed that coalescent globules of silicone oil had infiltrated the entire length of the attached atrophic optic nerve. Superficially reminiscent of the changes seen in Schnabel's cavernous optic atrophy, this observation provides evidence for the theory of Zimmerman et al concerning the pathogenesis of cavernous degeneration of the optic nerve in glaucomatous eyes.