Improvement in health-related quality of life following strabismus surgery for children with intermittent exotropia.

Abstract Purpose To investigate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after strabismus surgery in children with intermittent exotropia (IXT) and relationships between HRQOL and surgical success. Methods A total of 197 children with IXT aged 3-11 years (and 1 parent of each child) were enrolled in a previously reported randomized clinical trial comparing two surgical procedures. The Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire (IXTQ) was administered before surgery (baseline), and again at 6 and 36 months following surgery. The child version of the IXTQ was only completed by children 5-11 years of age (n = 123). Outcomes were classified as “resolved” (exodeviation of Results Overall, mean IXTQ domain scores improved for all domains from baseline to 36 months after surgery, ranging from 10.7 points (Child IXTQ; P Conclusions Successful surgery for childhood IXT results in measurable improvement in a child’s quality of life, in parental assessment of the child’s quality of life, and in quality of life for the parent.