Short-Term Morpho-Functional Changes before and after Strabismus Surgery in Children Using Structural Optical...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging

Background:

• Strabismus surgery aims to correct eye alignment.
• Assessing the impact of strabismus surgery on retinal layers is crucial for understanding visual outcomes.
• Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is a key tool for in vivo retinal layer analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate immediate changes in retinal layer thickness after strabismus surgery in pediatric patients with horizontal esotropia.
• To compare pre- and post-operative measurements of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), inner retinal layer (IRL), and outer retinal layer (ORL).

Main Methods:

• SD-OCT was used to measure retinal layers in 28 eyes of 21 pediatric patients before and one month after strabismus surgery.
• A control group of 14 healthy eyes, matched for age and refractive error, was included for comparison.
• Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was also assessed.

Main Results:

• No significant changes were observed in BCVA, RNFL, IRL, or ORL after surgery.
• A significant increase in mGCIPL thickness was noted one month post-surgery (p=0.026).
• Pre-operative mGCIPL thickness was significantly reduced in strabismus patients compared to healthy controls (p=0.014).

Conclusions:

• Strabismus surgery appears to induce a transient thickening of the mGCIPL, potentially related to post-operative inflammation.
• Pediatric patients with strabismus exhibit distinct mGCIPL thickness compared to healthy individuals, even before surgical intervention.