Strabismus and Health Related Quality of Life in a pediatric Portuguese population

Introduction: Strabismus is a common condition among children, and its psychosocial impact has been demonstrated in recent years. The interest in a more comprehensive approach was enhanced by the recognition of health as a four-dimensional concept, arising the term Health-related Quality of Life. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the influence of strabismus in Health-Related Quality of Life of a Portuguese pediatric population. Material and Methods: Case-control prospective transversal study enrolling children between 5 and 12 years old. All had a complete orthoptic and ophthalmological evaluation, followed by an interview with a legal representative to answer the Pediatric Quality-of-Life Inventory 4.0, proxy-version. Results: Seventy-one children were included, 35 in the control group (CG) and 36 in the strabismus group (SG). In the SG, 30 (83.3%) patients had esotropia, 20 (55.6%) had more than 10 prismatic diopters and 26 (72.2%) were already surgically treated. Overall, SG was not statistically different from the CG, showing only mild inferior performance (p > .05). Furthermore, children with exotropia, higher deviations, none or gross stereoacuity and treatment-naïve, scored worse, especially in emotional, social, educational and psychosocial scores although not statistically significant (p > .05). Conclusion: This is the first prospective study addressing HRQoL and strabismus in a pediatric Portuguese population. It would be relevant to further address this issue in order to delineate more effective and global treatment strategies, not only considering ophthalmological goals but also the well-being of both children and guardians.