Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Using an Automated Hirschberg Test App to Evaluate Ocular Alignment
Published on: March 24, 2020
Assessment of psychomotor development before and after strabismus surgery for infantile esotropia
Floor S Tukkers-van Aalst1, Ciska S Rensen, Mieke E de Graaf
1Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Insights
Infantile esotropia is linked to developmental delays in children. Strabismus surgery improved mental development, but motor delays persisted for months, indicating a need for continued monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Infantile esotropia is a common condition affecting eye alignment in infants.
- Developmental delays can co-occur with infantile esotropia, impacting cognitive and motor skills.
- Early intervention and surgical correction are crucial for managing infantile esotropia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of strabismus surgery on the motor and mental development of children with infantile esotropia.
- To compare developmental trajectories before and after surgical correction.
- To identify specific areas of development affected by infantile esotropia and its surgical management.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 20 children with infantile esotropia and 17 healthy controls.
- Utilized the Dutch version of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and ordinal scales.
- Developmental assessments were conducted at regular intervals before and after strabismus surgery.
Main Results:
- Children with infantile esotropia exhibited significant delays in both mental and motor development pre-surgery.
- Mental development delays resolved within three weeks post-surgery.
- Motor development delays persisted for months, with specific delays noted in object permanence and means-end skills.
Conclusions:
- Strabismus surgery in infantile esotropia leads to mental development recovery.
- Motor development deficits may persist post-surgery, requiring ongoing assessment.
- Developmental monitoring is essential for children undergoing strabismus surgery.
Purpose:
To assess motor and mental development before and after strabismus surgery in children with infantile esotropia.
Patients And Methods:
Mental and motor development indexes of 20 children with infantile esotropia without neurologic abnormalities and 17 age-matched healthy control subjects were prospectively tested at regular intervals before and after strabismus surgery with the Dutch version of the Bayley and ordinal scales of infant development.
Results:
The mean age for surgery in the study group was 13.5 months. Before strabismus surgery, the Bayley scales of infant development showed a significant delay in both mental (P < .045) and motor (P < .008) development for children with infantile esotropia compared with the control group. Three weeks after surgery, the delay in mental development had disappeared. The delay in motor development persisted for months. Two of the 7 ordinal scales--object permanence (P < .01) and means-end (P < .036)--showed a statistically significant delay for children with infantile esotropia. Three weeks after strabismus surgery, there was no difference between the study group and the control group.
Conclusions:
Children with infantile esotropia had delayed motor and mental development compared with healthy children. After strabismus surgery, patients recovered mentally, but their motor delays persisted for months when tested with the Bayley scales of infant development.