Recovery Pattern of Overcorrection after Intermittent Exotropia Surgery

Purpose: To assess the factors which are related to recovery time from overcorrection that occurred immediately after surgery. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of intermittent exotropia patients who had undergone bilateral lateral rectus muscle recession from February 2002 to July 2004. Fifty patients who developed overcorrection of less than 20 PD on the immediate postoperative day were included in this study. Age at surgery, sex, refractive power, preoperative deviation angle, Worth 4-dot test, and stereopsis were examined, and we evaluated the correlation between these factors and recovery time. Results: Thirty-six patients (72%) recovered to orthoposition within 4 weeks postoperatively. Significant correlations were found between the recovery time and poor stereopsis (p=0.02), and suppression of the Worth 4-dot test (p=0.01). There was no significant relationship between the recovery time and age at surgery, sex, refractive power, and preoperative deviation angle. Conclusions: In cases of immediate postoperative overcorrection of less than 20 PD after intermittent exotropia surgery, factors related to delayed recovery were poor stereopsis and suppression of the Worth 4-dot test.