Ocular deviation and patient age affects ocular position

According to recent findings, ocular deviation and patient age are both factors that influence ocular position under general anaesthesia in paediatric patients.

Dr Vincent Daien et al, Department of Ophthalmology, Hôpital Gui de Chauliac, Montpellier, France, included 41 patients with esotropia in the study. The group evaluated horizontal ocular deviation by the photographic Hirschberg test both in the awakened state and under general anaesthesia before surgery. Ocular deviation changes were measured and multivariate analysis was used to assess its clinical determinants.

Mean spherical equivalent refraction of the right eye was 2.44 ± 2.50 D, with no significant difference between the left and right eyes. Mean ocular deviation changed significantly from 33.5 ± 12.5 prism diopters (PD) at the preoperative examination to 8.8 ± 11.4 PD under general anaesthesia.

Ocular deviation changes positively correlated with preoperative ocular deviation and negatively correlated with patient age. Ocular position under general anaesthesia was a key factor in the surgical treatment of patients treated for esotropia.

To read the abstract please visit the Journal of Ophthalmology and Strabismus.