The Clinical Features in Patients with Orthophoria over Three Years after Surgery of Exotropia

Kim, Sang Jin; Choi, Dong Gyu

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate clinical features in patients with orthophoria over three years after surgical correction of intermittent exotropia.
METHODS
Sex, age at onset and surgery, preoperative and postoperative angles of ocular deviation, type of surgery, associated disorders, and preoperative and postoperative binocular sensory status were retrospectively investigated in 27 patients with orthophoria or ocular deviation under 8 prism diopters (PD) at least three years after surgical correction of intermittent exotropia.
RESULTS
The mean age at surgery was 5.3+/-4.8 years (range, 2 to 27 years). Ten patients (37.0%) were younger than four at the time of the operation, while 17 (63.0%) were four or older. The mean size of the preoperative exodeviation at distance and near was 27.4+/-7.3PD (range, 15 to 45PD) and 28.2+/-8.5PD (range, 12 to 50PD), respectively. On the first postoperative day, 7 patients (26.0%), 13 patients (48.1%), 6 patients (22.2%), and 1 patient (3.7%) showed esophoria (9 to 15PD), esophoria (under 8PD), orthophoria, exophoria (under 8PD), respectively. Twenty-two patients (81.5%) developed orthophoria within 2 months after surgery. After three years following the operation, 16 patients (59.3%) had developed orthophoria, while 11 patients (40.7%) showed exophoria within 8PD.
CONCLUSIONS
At the first postoperative day, most patients (74.1%) were overcorrected, while the rest (25.9%) were either undercorrected or orthophoric. Our investigation showed that patients not initially overcorrected can maintain good results. None of the patients had an A or V pattern of strabismus or dissociated vertical deviation with exodeviation before surgery.