Silicone implant to extra-ocular muscles.

A PROCEDURE which would allow the lengthening of an extra-ocular muscle beyond that which is usually obtained from the conventional surgical techniques would be of definite advantage in large-angle strabismus and strabismus fixus. Since silicone rubber is well tolerated by ocular and non-ocular tissues, the implantation of a small, thin sheet of this material to lengthen an extra-ocular muscle is a logical approach in this situation. The purpose of this paper is to report an experimental study, using rabbit eyes, and clinical observations in two patients with strabismus, in which this surgical procedure was applied. A long-term follow-up of these two patients and a report of several other clinical cases will be published at a later date.