ABSTRACT
No strict guidelines exist for strabismus surgery because of the large degree of variation in outcome between surgeons. Trainees may only be able to predict outcome after experience is gained. We looked at the results of recession/ resection repairs for primary constant esotropias performed by one surgeon and his trainees. The results were calculated in prism dioptres of change per millimetre of surgery for both lateral rectus and medial rectus muscles. Regression analysis was performed to separate the relative effects of each muscle. This showed that the two muscles provided different amounts of correction per millimeter of surgery. We suggest that strabismus surgeons create individualized graphs/curves to serve as a model for predicting their outcome from surgery. This is useful when planning surgery and may also serve as a teaching aid.
