Consecutive Esodeviation After Exotropia Surgery in Patients Older than 15 Years: Comparison with Younger Patients

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical course of esodeviation after exotropia surgery in older patients (older than 15 years) and to compare it with that in younger patients (15 years or younger). METHODS: The medical records of all surgeries for exodeviation from December 2004 to February 2007 were reviewed and 82 patients were found with consecutive esodeviation. The patients were divided into two groups according to their age: Group A (patients older than 15 years) and Group B (patients age 15 or younger). The clinical course of esodeviation in Group A was compared to that in Group B by means of survival analysis. RESULTS: The median survival times of the esodeviation were 2.0±0.1 months in Group A and 1.0±0.1 months in Group B (p=0.40). The prevalence of consecutive esotropia at six months was 0% in Group A and 6.1% in Group B (p=0.32). The myopic refractive error, worse sensory condition, and a larger preoperative exodeviation in Group A did not affect the clinical course of the two groups differently. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative esodeviation of patients older than 15 years after exotropia surgery tended to persist longer during the early postoperative period than that of patients 15 years or younger, however, the difference did not persist at postoperative six months.