Abstract

Aim: To determine the causes of strabismus among Saudi children who attended a tertiary eye hospital in central Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This is a cross-section study included 112 children aged less than 16 years who attended the pediatric ophthalmology unit of King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) in 2013 with complaints of strabismus, but not undergone surgical correction in the past. Demographic ocular status, refraction, fixation, visual acuity, ocular mobility status, history of eye patching, and penalization in the past were evaluated.

Results: We included 112 children with strabismus. Their mean age was 7.7 ±2.5 years, and there were 63 boys (56%). Esotropia and exotropia were found in 99 and 13 children, respectively. Six children had hypertropia. Accommodative esotropia was found in 76 (76.8%) participants. The median angle of deviation in 99 children with esotropia was 30∆D [interquartile range (IQR) 16: 35]. The median angle of deviation in 13 children with exotropia was 25∆D (IQR 22.5: 32.5). High hyperopia, amblyopia, anisometropia, and high astigmatism were found in 65 (58%), 22 (19.6%), 2, and 16 children, respectively. Sixty-six (59%) and 82 (73%) children had undergone eye patching and refractive error in the past six months.

Conclusions: Accommodative esotropia was the main cause of strabismus. One-fifth of the participants had amblyopia. Although half of them were given medical/ optical treatment in the past, failure to align eyes and address amblyopia is a matter of concern and needs further investigation.

Key words: Strabismus; Squint; Amblyopia; Refractive Error; Childhood Blindness; Esotropia; Exotropia