To report the characteristics and therapeutic results of patients with delayed consecutive esotropia after undergoing surgery for exotropia.

Ten patients with delayed consecutive esotropia of more than 10 prism diopters (PD) after orthotropia was obtained postoperatively were included in this study. The authors investigated the clinical characteristics, the deviated angle at postoperative day one, the duration between surgery and orthotropia, the duration between surgery and delayed esotropia, the angle of esotropia, and the result of treatment in delayed consecutive esotropia.

The average of the preoperative angle of exodeviation was 30PD at distance and 31PD at near. The patients underwent surgery for exotropia at a mean age of 5.3 years, and one day postoperatively, the angle of esodeviation was 12PD at distance and 10PD at near. All 10 patients demonstrated orthotropia at 0.9 months after surgery. However, esotropia of 21PD occurred 4 months after surgery for all patients. Six of the 10 patients demonstrated orthotropia or 10PD or less at the last visit after patching therapy or fitting for Fresnel prism glasses. The remaining four patients did not improve or showed aggravated esotropia with a doubled-angle of esotropia.

In patients with orthotropia after exotropia surgery, delayed consecutive esotropia can occur, and the prognosis of non-surgical treatment is relatively poor.