To evaluate the progress and outcome of consecutive esotropia after surgery for intermittent exotropia.

The authors investigated the risk factors, changes in the angle of esodeviation and treatment outcome in consecutive esotropia after lateral rectus muscle recession for intermittent exotropia in 196 patients.

Consecutive esotropia occurred in 25 patients (12.8%). The patients underwent more frequent combined muscle surgeries on vertical and oblique muscles ( p = 0.001) and had a greater amount of immediate postoperative overcorrection than subjects without consecutive esotropia. There was no significant difference with the incidence of overcorrection greater than 17 PD between the 2 groups with and without consecutive esotropia. There was no difference with the immediate postoperative overcorrection between the 6 cases that required surgery for their consecutive esotropia and the cases that recovered from their consecutive esotropia with conservative treatment. The former showed increasing esodeviation and maximum angle at average postoperative month 29.5. In the latter, esodeviation tended to decrease and showed maximum angle at average postoperative month 4.3. Finally, esotropia disappeared and good stereoacuity was obtained in both cases.

Although subjects with consecutive esotropia had a greater immediate postoperative overcorrection than subjects without consecutive esotropia, the progress and outcome of consecutive esotropia following the initial overcorrection were not predictable. Consecutive esotropia after surgery for intermittent exotropia showed good overall outcome and well-preserved stereoacuity after treatment.