Purpose:
To evaluate the preferences of pediatric ophthalmologists and vitreoretinal surgeons with regard to the initial management
of scleral perforation during strabismus surgery and to determine whether they perceived one mode of treatment conferred a
significant advantage over another in terms of the complication rate.
Methods:
Six hundred sixty-five pediatric ophthalmologists and 494 vitreoretinal surgeons registered with their respective national
organizations were invited by an e-mail to respond to an anonymous, web-based survey. The responses to the survey were compared
between groups.
Results:
A total of 169 ophthalmologists participated, 133 of whom were pediatric ophthalmologists and 36 vitreoretinal surgeons. Significantly
more pediatric ophthalmologists than vitreoretinal surgeons recommend initially managing scleral perforation by observation
(P = .001). Among pediatric ophthalmologists, method of treatment was not perceived to affect outcome (P = .75). However, laser photocoagulation was perceived to result in the best outcome among vitreoretinal surgeons (P = .03).
Conclusion:
Significant differences exist among pediatric ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon management preferences and perceived
treatment outcomes for scleral perforation.
AUTHORS
From the Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Presented at the Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, October 24–27, 2009, San Francisco, California.
Supported in part by an unrestricted grant to the Emory Eye Center from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York.
The authors have no financial or proprietary interest in the materials presented herein.
Address correspondence to Amy K. Hutchinson, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, 1365B Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30322. E-mail: ahutch2@emory.edu
Received: November 23, 2009
Accepted: May 12, 2010
Posted Online: July 22, 2010
doi: 10.3928/01913913-20100719-03