Strabismus, a preventable barrier to social participation: a short report

Isolated strabismus does not significantly impair visual functionality and has traditionally been considered a primarily cosmetic defect of little importance. However, even in the absence of strabismus amblyopia, manifest strabismus and its non-surgical treatments can render the person less socially acceptable, creating a barrier to participation and resulting in psychosocial disadvantage that has been documented in the typically developing population. The Australian Cerebral Palsy Register traditionally recorded strabismus only if it were not accompanied by visual impairment; however, even these data indicate that the proportion of cerebral palsy registrants with strabismus is many times higher than in comparable population samples, compounding their challenges to achieve participation. It is therefore inappropriate to continue to consider strabismus as merely a cosmetic defect, but one that deserves surgical correction early in life.