Epidemiology of surgical strabismus in Saudi Arabia

To describe the types and age differences of surgical strabismus.

Records of 4,886 strabismus patients who underwent surgery at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 1996 were analyzed. Demographic and clinical data were collected from all patients as a retrospective case series. The percentages and ratios of various types of strabismus were correlated with age and gender.

The average age of our patients was 13.2 years (range 4 months to 82 years). Esotropia was the most common type of strabismus (69.3%), while exotropia was less common (26.9%). Of patients undergoing esotropia correction, infantile esotropia and partially accommodative esotropia were equally common; non-accommodative was less common. Constant exotropia was almost three times more common than intermittent exotropia. The rate of sensory strabismus was high, 20.8% of all patients in the series, with a slight preponderance of sensory esotropia.

The ratio of esotropia to exotropia in our study is comparable to previous studies done in predominantly European and Middle Eastern populations. Surgical esotropia decreased with age while surgical exotropia increased. Overall, our rates of sensory strabismus were much higher than previously reported, even if we compare only the younger patients.