Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Strabismus Surgery at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Brazil: A Retrospective Study

Strabismus may affect binocular visual development and psychosocial well-being.This study aimed to characterize the demographic and clinical features of patients undergoing strabismus surgery at a tertiary referral hospital in northeastern Brazil.A retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using medical records of patients who underwent strabismus surgery between January 2017 and December 2022.For patients who underwent multiple procedures during the study period, only the first surgery was considered.Demographic characteristics, strabismus classification, refractive status, selected clinical manifestations, ocular and systemic comorbidities, and relevant clinical histories were analyzed using descriptive statistics.A total of 242 patients were included.The mean age at surgery was 16.3 ± 14.7 years, and 48.8% were aged 10 years or younger.Female patients accounted for 62.0% of the cohort.Horizontal strabismus was the most frequently documented classification (76.4%), with esotropia accounting for 65.4% of horizontal cases.Mixed strabismus was documented in 19.4% of patients, and bilateral involvement was recorded in 60.3%.Hyperopia was the most frequently documented refractive category (79.3%), followed by myopia (9.9%), emmetropia (8.3%), and antimetropia (1.2%).Diplopia and abnormal head posture were documented in 11.2% and 14.0% of patients, respectively.Ocular comorbidities were identified in 57 patients (23.6%), including amblyopia in 14 (5.8%), while systemic comorbidities were documented in 47 (19.4%), including neurological conditions in 17 (7.0%)and thyroid disorders in eight (3.3%).A history of trauma was documented in 23 patients (9.5%), and a family history of strabismus was documented in 19 (7.9%).This study provides a descriptive characterization of patients undergoing strabismus surgery at a tertiary referral hospital in northeastern Brazil.The predominance of horizontal deviations, particularly esotropia, the frequent documentation of hyperopia, and the presence of associated ocular and systemic conditions characterize this surgical population.These findings provide regional data on the clinical profile of patients undergoing strabismus surgery and may contribute to future epidemiological research.