Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Knapp LectureIs strabismus the only problem? Psychological issues surrounding strabismus surgery
Section snippets
Methods
This was a prospective cross-sectional study approved by the North London Research Ethics Committee. All consecutive adult strabismus patients ≥17 years of age listed for strabismus surgery between November 2010 and April 2012 under the care of 2 consultant strabismologists were invited to participate in the study. All questionnaires were completed prior to surgery, after receipt of the standardized information about the surgery from their consultant ophthalmologist. Exclusion criteria were as
Results
A total of 354 patients were approached, of whom 335 (95%) consented to join the study. Baseline data was available for 220 patients, and of these, 210 completed a follow-up questionnaire at 3 months (n = 41), 6 months (n = 25), or both (n = 144). Table 2 provides baseline details.
At baseline, 11% of patients were experiencing clinical levels of depression and 24% were experiencing clinical anxiety, which is approximately 10 times greater than that of the general population25 and in line with
Discussion
Our data suggest that it is not clinical factors that predict psychosocial well-being after strabismus surgery but rather the patient's beliefs and thoughts. Strabismus surgeons must therefore be aware that psychosocial factors are important to acknowledge and vital to ensuring successfully surgical outcomes. It is how the patients perceive their strabismus and not the size of the angle that matters. Surgeons should be aware of the high expectations particularly in younger female patients
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Cited by (14)
The impact of strabismus on psychosocial heath and quality of life: a systematic review
2021, Survey of OphthalmologyCitation Excerpt :In addition, these findings apply to individuals with strabismus ranging in age from 65 to greater than 85 years despite the fact that strabismus surgery does not decrease the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, fractures, or falls in this population [38,100,133]. Strabismic individuals experiencing significant psychosocial distress, particularly those without diplopia, tend to be less satisfied following successful surgical intervention [1,10,137]. As a result, it is important for ophthalmologists specializing in strabismus to appropriately educate these individuals before surgery regarding postsurgical expectations, and presurgical psychosocial support should be considered [1,10].
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Research supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health.