Primary intervention with hypermetropic spectacles: Factors influencing improvement in esotropia

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether factors observed at initial clinical examination are predictors of the ability to achieve motor alignment with single vision spectacles in hypermetropic children with esotropia. METHODS: Prospective case series. Thirty-eight children with esotropia from 6 months to 13 years of age were analyzed, out of the 46 recruited. Successful outcome was considered when the angle of deviation for distance was less than 10 prism diopters with the prescribed spectacles. RESULTS: Among the factors analyzed, intermittent esotropia ( P = 0.028) and higher refractive error ( P = 0.029) were significantly associated with achievement of motor alignment. Logistic regression showed intermittent deviation had a 5.5 times greater chance of successful outcome with spectacles alone ( P = 0.039, regression coefficient, 1.717; 95% CI, 1.089 to 28.450). CONCLUSION: The presence of intermittent deviation had a statistically significant chance of successful motor outcome with spectacles alone in children with hypermetropia and esotropia.