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Comparison Between Parental Observations and Clinical Evaluation Findings in Korean Pediatric Patients With
Insights
Parental observations in children with intermittent exotropia align more with the condition's control level than the deviation amount. This highlights the value of parental input in assessing strabismus management.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Strabismus Research
Background:
- Intermittent exotropia is a common form of strabismus in children.
- Accurate assessment of intermittent exotropia is crucial for effective management.
- Parental observations can provide valuable insights into a child's condition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare parental observations with clinical findings in pediatric intermittent exotropia.
- To identify clinical factors influencing parental observations of the condition.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving parents of pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia.
- Parental observations assessed via questionnaire (age of onset, deviated eye, awareness, frequency).
- Comparison with clinical evaluations (ocular deviation amount, control level).
Main Results:
- Good concordance (74%) between parental and clinical findings on the usually deviated eye.
- Parental awareness correlated with worsening distance control (P = .04).
- Parental frequency observations linked to poorer near (P = .037) and overall (P = .019) control.
Conclusions:
- Parental observations are more indicative of the control level than the deviation magnitude in intermittent exotropia.
- Parental input is valuable for assessing the functional aspects of strabismus in children.
Purpose:
To compare parental observations with the clinical evaluation findings in pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia and evaluate the clinical factors associated with the parental observations.
Methods:
This prospective study included either one or both parents of pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia who visited the clinic between January and May 2019. The parental observations were assessed through a questionnaire that included questions on the age of onset, usually deviated eye, degree of awareness, and frequency of exotropia. These findings were compared with those of the clinical evaluations, including the amount of ocular deviation and level of control.
Results:
A total of 100 parents (mean age: 39.7 years; 78 women) of 95 pediatric patients (mean age: 8.2 years; 47 girls) with intermittent exotropia participated in the study. The parental observation and clinical evaluation findings on the usually deviated eye showed good concordance (74%). The degree of parental awareness did not show any association with the amount of deviation. However, it showed a statistically significant increase associated with the worsening level of distance control (P = .04). The parental observations of the frequency of exotropia significantly increased with the worsening of the level of near (P = .037) and overall (P = .019) control.
Conclusions:
Parental observations are more likely to correlate with the level of control than with the amount of ocular deviation in pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2020;57(3):199-203.].
