20th annual Frank Costenbader Lecture--adult strabismus

A retrospective analysis of adults with strabismus was done to examine the potential risks and the possible benefits of surgical treatment and to describe the types of adult strabismus.

Eight hundred ninety-two patients were analyzed. Age at time of surgery ranged from 9 years to 89 years. The average follow up was 34 months. Major types of strabismus were grouped by their original diagnoses. The group of patients with horizontal strabismus, which usually had an onset before 9, was termed the before visual maturity (BVM) group. The group of patients with paretic or restrictive strabismus usually had the onset of strabismus after age 9 and was termed the after visual maturity (AVM) group.

Patients with adult strabismus can gain restoration of alignment, as well as binocular function. At the last postoperative visit, 74% of the BVM group were aligned within 15 prism diopters. Not only was restoration of alignment accomplished, many of them gained some degree of sensory fusion as measured by the Worth 4-Dot (W4D) or Titmus stereoacuity. Twenty-nine percent of patients with congenital esotropia had some sensory fusion. The other subtypes in the BVM group had even higher percentages of patients with postoperative stereoacuity. In the AVM group, 92% had fusion at the last postoperative visit.

The outcomes of adult strabismics in our study show that certain benefits can be gained from correction of ocular alignment. Restoration of alignment, elimination of diplopia and sensory fusion are functional benefits that can be obtained through strabismus surgery in the adult patient. It is clear that adult strabismus is more than just a cosmetic problem and treatment is worthwhile.