Combined cataract and strabismus surgery with adjustable sutures.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To report the results of combined cataract and strabismus surgery using an adjustable suture technique in patients of different ages. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients underwent combination surgery between March 1999 and January 2004. All adjustments of the muscle sutures were done 24 hours postoperatively to prevent diplopia, and topical anesthesia was used for all but 1 patient. Bilateral lateral rectus recession was performed for 5 patients; medial rectus resection and lateral rectus recession was performed for 11 patients, and medial rectus recession and lateral rectus resection was performed for 4 patients. Extracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification plus intraocular lens implantation was done according to the type of cataract. RESULTS: Preoperative visual acuities ranged between 20/8000 and 20/400. Eighteen of the patients had a cataract and 2 of the patients had aphakia due to previous cataract surgery. Considerable improvement in vision was obtained in 10 patients, and a postoperative visual acuity of 20/25 was achieved in 1 patient. Deviations improved from between 30 and 45 prism diopters preoperatively to between 2 and 8 prism diopters postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Combined cataract and strabismus surgery with adjustable sutures can be an alternative to the conventional method. It is less time-consuming for both the patient and the surgeon, and provides faster cosmetic and functional rehabilitation in a single operation.