To evaluate the effect of age wearing prescription glasses on changes in refractive error in accommodative esotropia.

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 63 patients with accommodative esotropia. The patients were divided into three groups according to their age when glasses were prescribed. Changes of the refractive error between the three groups were compared.

The mean age at the first visit was 4.1±2.0 years and the mean follow-up period was 5.7±2.7 years. In children that began wearing glasses before two years of age, the spherical equivalent (SE) refractive error initially increased, peaked 2.5 years after starting to wear glasses, and slowly decreased thereafter. In children who started wearing glasses after two years but not before four years of age the SE refractive error increased and peaked 1.5 years after starting to wear glasses. For children who began wearing glasses after four years of age the SE refractive error increased and peaked after one year. Changes in the refractive error in the youngest age group were significantly different from the other two groups ( p =0.064).

The age when glasses are prescribed may influence normal emmetropization in accommodative esotropia. However, further studies with longer follow-ups will be needed to determine the effect of wearing glasses on the final SE refractive error.