Binocular field expansion in adults after surgery for esotropia
B. J. Kushner
University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital and Clinics, Pediatric Eye Clinic.
OBJECTIVES: To determine how frequently adults with long-standing esotropia
will experience an expansion of their binocular visual field after surgical
correction of their strabismus and to determine if the postoperative
expansion of binocular fields in esotropic adults correlates with the type
of esotropia (infantile vs acquired), duration of the deviation, visual
acuity in the deviating eye, or a history of satisfactory alignment in
early childhood. DESIGN: Preoperative and postoperative binocular visual
fields were measured in a consecutive series of 37 adults undergoing
surgery for esotropia. The fields were obtained and graded by masked
observers. RESULTS: Before surgery, all patients had a constricted
binocular field on the side of the deviating eye. In 35 of the 37 patients,
the visual fields met predetermined criteria for accuracy and were included
in data analysis. After surgery, 34 of those 35 patients experienced an
expansion of their binocular field consistent with the degree to which the
eye was surgically straightened. There was no correlation with binocular
field expansion after surgery and the type of esotropia (infantile vs
acquired), duration of the deviation, visual acuity in the deviating eye,
or a history of satisfactory alignment in early childhood. CONCLUSIONS:
Binocular field expansion occurs in the vast majority of esotropic patients
after strabismus surgery if the surgery is successful in correcting
esotropia. The developmental gains that are reported in infants undergoing
surgery for infantile esotropia may be due to an expansion of their
binocular field after surgery.
