Does exotropia surgery have a long-term effect on choroidal vasculature?

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Ophthalmic Surgery
• Choroidal Imaging

Background:

• Exotropia is a common form of strabismus.
• Surgical correction is often necessary for functional and cosmetic reasons.
• The long-term effects of strabismus surgery on ocular structures, particularly the choroid, require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term impact of exotropia surgery on choroidal structure.
• To compare choroidal parameters between surgically treated exotropia patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 18 patients who underwent medial rectus resection and lateral rectus recession for exotropia.
• Comparison with 18 healthy control subjects.
• Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) was used to assess choroidal thickness (CT), total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA), and choroidal vascularity index (CVI).

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in CT, TCA, LA, SA, or CVI between operated eyes, fellow eyes, and control eyes.
• Choroidal structure remained unaffected long-term after strabismus surgery.

Conclusions:

• Exotropia surgery does not appear to have adverse long-term effects on the choroidal layer.
• The study supports prompt surgical intervention for exotropia, considering its positive impact on psychological well-being and quality of life.