Physical therapy interventions for reduction of ocular deviation after strabismus surgery

Abstract

Introduction. The study aim was to examine the effect of physiotherapy exercises on correcting the remaining ocular deviation after strabismus surgery. Methods. A randomized interventional clinical trial was performed in the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, among 40 patients with ocular deviation after strabismus surgery. The participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). All subjects received usual medical care, while the experimental group performed different types of physiotherapy exercises for 2 sessions a week for 12 weeks. The near and far angles of ocular deviation were measured before and after the 12 weeks of treatment. Results. A significant improvement was observed in the experimental group compared with the control group after 12 weeks of training. There was a reduction in the near angle (19.85 ± 4.09 to 15.4 ± 3.87; 22.41%) and far angle (19.65 ± 4.78 to 16.75 ± 3.9; 14.75%) in the experimental group, with no significant change of the near angle (20.5 ± 3.64 to 20.75 ± 3.19; 1.21%) or far angle (19.7 ± 2.97 to 19.95 ± 3.41; 1.26%) in the control group. Conclusions. The application of different types of physiotherapy exercises can reduce ocular deviation, restore binocular function, and improve the cosmetic appearance in patients with remaining ocular deviation after strabismus surgery.