J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2012 Mar;53(3):440-445.

A Study of Patient Concerns and Return to Daily Life after Strabismus Surgery

• Kim JH
• Kim SH
• Cho YA

Abstract

PURPOSE
To investigate preoperative concerns and expectations of caretakers and patients who underwent strabismus surgery and the patients course of return to daily life.
METHODS
Eighty-five strabismus surgery patients were enrolled in this study. We performed a questionnaire survey including 11 questions about the concerns, expectations of strabismus surgery and the course of return to daily life after surgery. In total, 25 adult patients and 60 children with their caretakers were asked to fill out the questionnaire.
RESULTS
The results showed that 77% of all patients and their caretakers expected that the strabismus would be cured after a single operation. The greatest concern before surgery was the possibility of strabismus recurrence (60%). Fifty five percent of the patients reported the use of an eye patch for 2 weeks to 1 month after surgery and 88% of them showed a 75-100% increase in performance after the operation. The most common reason for decreased performance was the use of an eye patch (61%). Most patients returned to normal daily activities within 1 to 2 weeks after surgery.
CONCLUSIONS
Proper preoperative explanation about the possibility of recurrence may reduce concerns and false expectations about surgical outcomes. It appears to take 1 to 2 weeks for patients to return to their daily lives.

Keyword

Concern; Return to daily life; Strabismus surgery

MeSH Terms

Adult
Child
Eye
Humans
Surveys and Questionnaires
Recurrence
Strabismus

Figure

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  Figure 1 Expectations about the operation before strabismus surgery.

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  Figure 2 The major concerns of patients before receiving strabismus surgery.

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  Figure 3 Patient's everyday life activities after the surgery compared to the norm.

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  Figure 4 Causes of limited daily activities.

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  Figure 5 Time until returning to normal life activities.

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  Figure 6 Period of full time patching after surgery.

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