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Discrepancies between parental reports and clinical diagnoses of strabismus in Korean children
1Department of Ophthalmology, Ewha Womans University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Parental observation of childhood strabismus (eye misalignment) showed moderate accuracy, correlating with clinical evaluations 67% of the time. Parents were better at detecting outward eye turns (exotropia) than inward ones (esotropia).
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Clinical Evaluation
Background:
- Strabismus is a common condition in children, affecting visual development.
- Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment.
- Parental observation plays a role in identifying potential eye conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy of parental observations of strabismus compared to formal clinical evaluations in Korean children.
- To determine factors influencing the concordance between parental reports and clinical findings.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for 228 children under 15 with reported horizontal deviation.
- Comparison of parent-reported ocular deviation direction with objective clinical assessment results.
- Analysis of concordance rates based on various clinical and demographic factors.
Main Results:
- Overall concordance between parental observation and clinical evaluation was 67%.
- Lower concordance rates were observed for inward eye deviation (esotropia), younger children, earlier onset, and smaller deviation angles.
- Parental detection of outward eye deviation (exotropia) was more reliable than esotropia.
Conclusions:
- Parental observation of strabismus is a useful but not perfectly accurate screening tool.
- Clinical evaluation remains essential for definitive diagnosis and management of pediatric strabismus.
- Further research may explore methods to improve parental reporting accuracy.
Purpose:
To compare the accuracy of parental observation of strabismus with clinical evaluation in Korean children.
Methods:
The medical records of 228 children <15 years of age who visited the pediatric strabismus clinic from 2002 to 2007 and whose parents reported a horizontal deviation were retrospectively reviewed. We compared subjective parent-reported direction of ocular deviation with the objective results after clinical evaluation.
Results:
The mean age of the 228 children was 3.9 ± 3.0 years. Of these, 178 children (78%) were diagnosed with strabismus; 50 (22%), with orthotropia. The overall concordance rate was 67% (152/228). The concordance rate was lower for parents reporting inward deviation of the eye (P < 0.001), younger age group at presentation (P = 0.004), experienced onset of ocular deviation at younger age group (P = 0.001), and had fewer diopters of deviation (P < 0.001). Patient sex, family history of strabismus, observed frequency of deviation, and laterality of deviated eye did not show statistical differences in concordance rates (all P values >0.05).
Conclusions:
Parental observation correlated with clinical assessment two-thirds of the time. Exotropia was more reliably detected by the parents than esotropia.
