Results Following Eye Muscle Surgery for Secondary Sensory Strabismus

Abstract

Purpose: To provide a longer follow-up after strabismus surgery for secondary sensory strabismus.

Patients and Methods: We investigated the follow up of 26 patients operated on for secondary strabismus: 7 convergent (SSC), 19 divergent (SSD). Inclusion criteria were fellow eye without any morphological disorder, and exclusion criteria were possible motility disorders or mechanical restriction: The mean follow-up time after surgery was 5 years 8 months ± 4 years (1 year 8 months to 12 years 8 months) for SSC and 5 years 10 months ± 3 years, 8 months (7 months to 13 years 3 months) for SSD, with p = 0.86. A statistical analysis of the results was performed with SPSS version 11.5 (Statistical Products and Service Solutions, SPSS Inc., United States). All statistical tests were 2-sided, and the threshold of significance was set to p ≤ 0.05.

Main Results: The angle of deviation for far distance was reduced from 20 ± 9 (11 to 35) to −2 ± 4 (–8 to 6)° for SSC and from −21 ± 8 (−42 to −10) to −2 ± 5 (−15 to 4)° for SSD. A correlation between the postoperative angle in far distance and the visual acuity (lg visus) of the affected eye was not found for SSC: r = −0.5, p = 0.24, but was observed for SSD: r = 0.52, p = 0.02. In patients with perforating injury, a correlation of the postoperative angle in far distance to the age at injury of the affected eye was found (r = 0.6, p = 0.05). Two of the seven patients with SSC and one of 19 with SSD complained of double vision pre- and post-operatively. All patients with SSC and with SSD were satisfied with the postoperative angle of deviation.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that, in general, we can recommend eye muscle surgery in secondary strabismus.

KEYWORDS::

• secondary strabismus
• sensory strabismus
• double vision
• anisomyopia
• perforating injury
• diplopia

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to thank the many Franconian ophthalmologists who supported the follow-up of the patients taking part in this study. Presented at the 12^th Bielschowsky Symposium, Würzburg, 17-18 November 2007.

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.