Photorefraction: A useful tool to detect small angle strabismus

Forty patients with small angle strabismus and 30 straight eyed controls were examined by photorefraction in order to establish the validity of this method to detect strabismus. The sensitivity of the method was based on detection of asymmetry of the corneal light and/or fundus reflexes. All cases with a deviation of 2 degrees or more were detected, and 2 controls were falsely considered to be strabismic patients. The sensitivity of the method decreased when the patient wore optimal correction. Photorefraction therefore is considered to be a reliable, simple, and cheap tool with high sensitivity and specificity in screening for strabismus as well as refractive errors.