Refractive error changes in children with intermittent exotropia under overminus lens therapy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Ophthalmology
• Optometry

Background:

• Intermittent exotropia management often involves stimulating accommodative convergence.
• Excessive accommodation has been linked to myopia development.
• The impact of overcorrecting minus lens therapy on refractive error progression in this population requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in refractive errors in children with intermittent exotropia undergoing overcorrecting minus lens therapy.
• To determine if overcorrecting minus lenses influence the spherical equivalent in pediatric patients.
• To assess the relationship between refractive error changes and variables like age and treatment duration.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 21 children diagnosed with intermittent exotropia.
• Comparison between a group receiving overminus lens therapy (Group A) and a control group receiving standard spectacles (Group B).
• Multivariate analysis using initial age, age interval, initial spherical equivalent, and overcorrection magnitude as covariates.

Main Results:

• Overcorrection in Group A ranged from 0.5 D to 3.5 D.
• While initial spherical equivalents differed between groups, mean refractive error variation showed no significant difference (p=0.36).
• Multivariate analysis indicated no significant impact of overcorrecting minus lenses on refractive error changes, considering all enrolled co-variables.

Conclusions:

• Treatment of intermittent exotropia using overcorrecting minus lenses does not induce significant changes in refractive errors.
• Age, treatment duration, initial refractive error, and the degree of overcorrection did not correlate with refractive error changes.
• Overcorrecting minus lens therapy appears safe concerning refractive error progression in children with intermittent exotropia.