The Influence of Axial Length on the Response to Strabismus Surgery

ABSTRACT

There are many factors that influence the response of strabismus surgery. This study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of axial length on the response to strabismus surgery. Axial length was determined preoperatively on 156 non-paralytic horizontal strabismus patients undergoing strabismus surgery from February, 1993 to April, 1994. The mean axial length in all patients was 22.29+/-1.35mm. In esotropia the mean axial length was 21.24+/-1.12mm and in exotropia the mean axial length was 22.68+/-1.23mm. A statistically significant inverse correlation was found between axial length and surgery response (prism diopters per millimeter of recuts recession) in esotropic patients (R=-0.51 p=0.0006). Especially in aquired esotropia, a more significant correlation was found between axial length and surgery respinse (R=-0.73 P=0.0001). The relationship in esotropia was linear and could be written as the approximate regression formula : surgery response=9.51-0.29* axial length (R=-0.454 P=0.03). However, a poor correlation was found between axial length and surgery response in exotropia. Therefore it is regraded as being effective that the amount of recession in esotropia should be graduated according to axial length.