Abstract

BackgroundIntermittent exotropia (IXT) is the most common form of exotropia in children. In addition to cosmetic effects and loss of stereoscopic function, IXT may negatively impact the psychological well-being of children and their parents. The purpose of this study was to assess the patient-reported outcomes of Chinese children with IXT before and after strabismus surgery.MethodsThe records of children with IXT who underwent strabismus surgery at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University, China over the period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 were prospectively recruited. All children underwent ophthalmic and orthoptic examinations, including the prism and alternate cover test, fusion function by synoptophore, stereoacuity and Newcastle control score. Two patient-reported outcome measures were used: the intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire (IXTQ) to measure disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to measure anxiety and depression. Patient-reported outcome measurements were made before and after surgery with responses from children and their parents.ResultsA total of 389 children were eligible for inclusion (47.8% male, 52.2% female, mean + SD age = 8.17 ± 2.81). Preoperative IXTQ scores in both children (48.21 ± 26.2) and their parents (44.6 ± 25.68) were significantly correlated with near stereoacuity (P = 0.029 and P = 0.015, respectively). The angle of deviation at near vision showed a negative linear relationship with visual function (P = 0.026) and psychological (P = 0.019) scores as well as opinions regarding surgery (P = 0.024). HADS scores (anxiety scale score: 11 ± 2.92, depression scale score: 10.44 ± 2.9) were also related to near stereoacuity (P < 0.05). After surgery, both children’s (74.83 ± 16.59) and parents’ (68.57 ± 17.06) IXTQ scores significantly improved (p<0.01). Children’s IXTQ scores were related to the angle of deviation at distance, and their psychological and visual function scores showed a negative relationship with the angle of deviation at near vision (P < 0.05).ConclusionChildren and parents’ HRQOL and HADS were associated with near stereoacuity. Parents usually attend more readily to the angle of deviation at near in their IXT children. HRQOL improved significantly after surgery and can be used as one of the indices for preoperative evaluation but is not recommended as a criterion for surgical intervention.

Highlights

  • Intermittent exotropia (IXT) is the most common form of exotropia in children

  • Children and parents’ Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were associated with near stereoacuity

  • We found that some patients with a more serious IXT may show a lower HRQOL score, which predisposes them to ignore the severity of IXT and thereby delays the time for surgery

Read more

Summary

Introduction

In addition to cosmetic effects and loss of stereoscopic function, IXT may negatively impact the psychological well-being of children and their parents. In addition to cosmetic affects and loss of stereoscopic function [5], IXT may negatively impact the psychological well-being of children and their parents [6]. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) represents an important tool for evaluating IXT patients, but it is rarely used by clinicians. The Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire (IXTQ) is a wellaccepted, specific tool to assess HRQOL in IXT children and their parents [7]. With the use of these patient proxy scales, it is possible to achieve a more detailed assessment of the impact of IXT on the mental health of these children

Objectives
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call