MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC STRABISMUS

Surgery for strabismus, a condition in which the visual axes of the eyes are not parallel and the eyes appear to be looking in different directions. The concern is that the brain may come to rely more on one eye than the other and that the part of the brain circuitry connected to the less-favored eye fails to develop properly, leading to amblyopia or blindness in that eye. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of surgical re-alignment of the eyes. The study was conducted at University Hospital Center “Mother Theresa” in Tirana, Albania. A total of 44 patients underwent strabismus surgery from 2013-2014. Age varied from a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 14 years with a mean of 8 years. Regarding the gender distribution, females were 25 (57%) and males were 25 (57%) were using spectacles prior to the squint surgery. History of ocular trauma was present in 9 (20%) of patients. Similarly, abnormal head posture was present in 5 (11%) of patients. Extra ocular movements were full in 70% right eyes and 30% left eyes. Strabismus surgery is a common procedure and most patients will see a large improvement in the alignment of their eyes after surgery. Well aligned eyes also offer proven social and developmental benefits for children.