Relationship between Control Grade, Stereoacuity and Surgical Success in Basic Intermittent Exotropia

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the relationship between control grade, stereoacuity and surgical success in basic intermittent exotropia. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 44 basic intermittent exotropia patients who underwent strabismus surgery and completed at least 6 months of follow-up. The 44 patients were divided into three subgroups according to their control grade: group 1 (good control group, n = 12), group 2 (fair control group, n = 18), and group 3 (poor control group, n = 14). Evaluation was done to identify the relationships between near and distance stereoacuity and control grade, and between surgical success and control grade. Surgical success was defined as ocular alignment between 5 prism diopters esodeviation and 10 prism diopters exodeviation in the primary position at the final visit. RESULTS: Mean near stereoacuity measured by the graded circle test was 57.50 seconds of arc (seconds) in group 1, 77.77 seconds in group 2, and 131.43 seconds in group 3 (p < 0.01). Mean distance steroacuity measured by Mentor B-VAT II BVS contour circle was 108.33 seconds in group 1, 148.33 seconds in group 2, and 262.82 seconds in group 3 (p < 0.01). Ten patients (83.33%) in group 1, 12 (66.67%) in group 2, and 9 (64.29%) in group 3 obtained surgical success (p = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: In basic intermittent exotropia, better control grade was significantly accompanied by better stereoacuity. Better control grade was accompanied by higher surgical success rate but with no statistical significance.