Some principles in surgical treatment of strabismus

Taking into consideration the age of the patient, the strabismus surgery targets different things. Thus, for infants, the goal of the surgical intervention for congenital esotropia, is to prevent the occurrence of amblyopia and binocular vision dysfunctions (ARC, suppression). In preschool children, we operate aiming the recovery of the binocular vision, while in children over ten years old, the surgery is done only for esthetic reasons. On the other hand, in adults, the strabismus surgery has two aspects: for esthetic reasons in monocular strabismus with amblyopia, or for diplopia treatment in strabismus of traumatic or neurological cause. To get the best results, the surgical intervention has to respect several rules, which differ with patient's age. This presentation will discuss several surgical procedures: for congenital esotropia (including its advantages and drawbacks), for preschool children strabismus and also for strabismus in adults. We will also review the surgical treatment for Duane syndrome, Ciancia syndrome and superior oblique muscle palsy.