Assessing bulk emulsification at the silicone oil - saline solution interface in a 3D model of the eye.

The stresses generated at the liquid-liquid interface are not large enough to form droplets in the bulk region for conditions representative of these in the eye. Bulk emulsification of the SiOil, reported as the main formation mechanism by some workers, is not responsible for droplet formation in a vitrectomized SiOil-filled eye set-up. This result confirms recent finding on droplet formation driven by a surface emulsification mechanism.