Long-term surgical success for basic exotropia
Reviewed by Fiona Rowe

The purpose of this study was to report long-term outcomes after unilateral recess / resect surgery for basic intermittent exotropia with minimal follow-up of 10 years. This was a retrospective review of 445 patients with surgery for basic intermittent exotropia: 41 had follow-up of 10 years. There were 26 females and mean age was 2.61 ±2.57 years at onset, 6.07 ±2.96 years at presentation and 6.75 ±3.15 years at surgery. Preoperative deviation was 29 ±7.2PD at near and 29.1 ±8.3PD at distance. Ten percent had anisometropic amblyopia. At 10-year follow-up, 46% had surgical success. Survival analysis showed probability of surgical success of 59% at five years, 46% at 10 years and 31% at 15 years postop. Recurrence was in 54% at a mean age of 4.18 ±2.99 years. Age at surgery did not predict achievement of stereopsis. Patients with a strabismus duration <5 years achieved better stereopsis. The authors conclude long-term follow-up shows lower levels of surgical success.

Long-term motor and sensory outcomes after unilateral lateral rectus recession – medial rectus resection for basic intermittent exotropia.
Mohan K, Sharma SK.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS
2020;57:326-32.