Producer
Fluoron GmbH
Ultrapure biomaterials specialist for retinal surgery — Siluron silicone oil line, Densiron 68 heavy silicone oil, perfluorocarbon liquids, gases. Sister company of surgical-instrument maker Geuder AG (Heidelberg).
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Silicone Oil Tamponades (Standard & Heavy)
55%Perfluorocarbon Liquids (PFCL)
25%Ophthalmic Gases & Specialty Agents
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Did you know2024
Fluoron's Densiron 68 heavy silicone oil is a mixture of standard PDMS silicone oil with perfluorodecalin (C10F18, a perfluorocarbon liquid). Perfluorodecalin is one of the two perfluorocarbon compounds in Fluosol-DA, the first FDA-approved PFC-based oxygen-carrying blood substitute (approved 1989, later withdrawn). Perfluorodecalin's ability to dissolve large quantities of oxygen makes it a research candidate for liquid ventilation in premature infants with underdeveloped lungs and for ARDS treatment. The same perfluorodecalin that Fluoron mixes into Densiron 68 for retinal surgery applications is simultaneously sourced for military blood substitute research programs, premature infant liquid ventilation studies, and as an intraoperative endotamponade for temporary use during vitreoretinal procedures — all competing for the same small global PFCL chemical supply.
Fluoron GmbH ↗Concentration2024
The entire global supply of medical-grade perfluorocarbon liquids for retinal surgery (perfluorodecalin, perfluoro-n-octane, perfluoroperhydrophenanthrene) comes from a handful of small specialty chemical manufacturers and ophthalmic biomaterials companies. Fluoron GmbH in Ulm, DORC (Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center) in the Netherlands, and Bausch + Lomb are the primary CE-marked and FDA-cleared PFCL suppliers for intraoperative use. The global market for these compounds is valued at tens of millions of dollars — tiny by pharmaceutical standards — but there is no viable intraoperative substitute when these liquids are unavailable. Vitreoretinal surgeons rely on these materials to mechanically unfold and stabilize retinas during complex procedures where hours of operating time are otherwise wasted without PFCL. A single Ulm facility supplies a meaningful fraction of the world's retinal surgery consumables.
Fluoron GmbH ↗Origin2024
Fluoron GmbH is a private German GmbH based in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg — a city historically associated with precision optics, scientific instruments, and medical technology (Einstein was born in Ulm; the city hosts a major university and a large Daimler engineering hub). Fluoron is a sister company of Geuder AG, a Heidelberg-based ophthalmic instrument manufacturer. The company's differentiation is ultrapurification of silicone polymers and perfluorocarbons to the purity standards required for intraocular use. Trace contaminants in silicone oil — silica particles, volatile fractions, low-molecular-weight chains — can cause intraocular inflammation, emulsification, and secondary glaucoma in retinal surgery patients. Fluoron developed proprietary purification processes to meet these requirements, positioning themselves as a specialty biomaterials supplier rather than a bulk silicone distributor.
Fluoron GmbH ↗