To evaluate the influence of suppression by intermittent exotropia on axial length progression.

The medical records of patients with intermittent exotropia who had undergone surgery at the Korea University Medical Center from 2003 to 2010 were reviewed. The age upon visit, age at operation, visual acuity, refractive error, type of strabismus, angle of strabismic deviation, suppression test (Vectographic projector test, Reneau, France), and axial length test were analyzed. Subjects with amblyopia or anisometropia were excluded.

A total of 75 patients with intermittent exotropia who had definite suppression in 1 eye were identified. The mean age at visit was 6.87 ± 2.73 years and mean angle of exodeviation was 25.65 ± 6.68 / 26.17 ± 6.59 (prism diopters, distant / near). There was no statistical difference in exotropia patients' interocular axial length value who showed suppression in 1 eye ( p = 0.992 in the right-eye suppression group, and p = 0.528 in the left-eye suppression group).

In the present study, there was no statistical difference in interocular axial length value of intermittent exotropia patients with suppression in one eye ( p > 0.05).