Optometric management of strabismus patients.
BACKGROUND: The management of strabismic patients varies within the eye care profession. This paper provides an overview of strabismus; including etiology, diagnosis and therapeutic options. Implications as to the efficacy of different therapy strategies for strabismus are discussed. METHODS: A literature review of strabismus is presented and a sequence of therapeutic options is offered. RESULTS: A diagnostic battery of tests to evaluate the strabismus patient is reported along with therapeutic options. The basic assumption made in this paradigm is that one should move from a least invasive and therefore more safe, to a more invasive protocol, if necessary. The ultimate objective of any strabismic therapy should be to develop or restore effective binocular function, efficiency of vision and comfort, as well as cosmesis. CONCLUSIONS: In most cases, optometric therapeutic procedures should be the beginning treatment of choice in strabismus. It has been demonstrated in the literature that optometric therapy is less invasive and as successful as surgery in many cases of strabismus.