From stereoblind to stereopsis

5 February 2020 | Fiona Rowe (Prof) | EYE - Paediatrics, EYE - Strabismus

This study sought to examine the postoperative stereopsis in stereoblind patients with normal or corrected visual acuity. Twenty patients (10 female / male) with an average age of 25.35±6.34 years were studied with primary horizontal comitant strabismus (14 exotropia, six esotropia). None had stereopsis preoperatively but three had fusion preoperatively on the synoptophore. The average angle was 63.55±18.52PD. Mean duration of strabismus was 17.93±7 years. All had successful eye alignment postoperatively. At final follow-up (minimum of three months), nine had near stereopsis of mean 53.33 ±33.17” and five with fusion. Neither duration of strabismus or type of strabismus was predictive of stereopsis recovery. The authors conclude that for this specific group of patients (with good visual acuity) surgery should be considered as important for functional recovery and is not merely cosmetic.