Contact lens wear in strabismic and non‐strabismic young patients: sensorial and oculomotor study and quality of life outcome

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The main aim of the study was to compare sensorial and oculomotor examinations in a sample of strabismic young patients corrected with eyeglasses and secondarily fitted with contact lenses. The second aim was to evaluate the quality of life. Methods Forty‐eight patients were included (8 to 19 years‐old) in Tours University Hospital from June 1st 2005 to May 31st 2007. Oculomotor and sensorial examinations were performed. Results Thirty‐seven patients had a mean follow‐up of 17.6 months. Twenty‐six patients had strabismus. Contact lens wear was stopped in 22.9% cases. In esotropic patients, the decrease of horizontal deviation angle in distant vision with lens was significantly more important when the initial angle measured with eyeglasses was more than 8 dioptries. The contact lens spherical power was significantly higher than the eyeglasses power. We did not find significant difference of quality of life in strabismic young person and the control group. Those results show that contact lens wear can uncover residual accommodation and can decrease the horizontal deviation angle in distant vision when the initial angle is higher than 8 dioptries. Conclusion Contact lens fitting has to take part in the global medical management of strabismus, especially in young patients willing to give up wearing eyeglasses.