The Psychosocial Improvement after Strabismus Surgery in Iranian Patients

Purpose: to compare the psychosocial status before and after successful strabismus surgery on iranian strabismic patients. methods: one hundred twenty-four strabismic patients, older than 15 years were evaluated between 2009 and 2010. they were asked to complete a questionnaire about their psychosocial experiences, before and three months after successful strabismus surgery. effects of strabismus on self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-assessment of intelligence, employment and interpersonal relationships were compared. results: fifty-six percent of patients had problems in adjusting to society, and 71% had developed a mannerism to camouflage their misalignment before surgery. the preoperative scores of self-esteem, self-confidence, and interpersonal relationship were 4.33±2.07, 4.23±2.53 and 6.06±2.33 which changed to 8.33±3.02, 7.29±2.89 and 6.72±3.17 after surgery, respectively (p<0.001 for all of values). more esotropic patients reported to be discriminated against compared to exotropic patients. postoperatively, 79% of patients reported improvements in their ability to meet new people, and 82% in interpersonal relationships. scores of self-confidence and self-esteem increased up to three and four units, respectively (p<0.001 for both values). conclusion: patients with strabismus have psychosocial problems and successful strabismus surgery improves their psychosocial status.