DR. MEGHANA JATTEPALLE

DR. BARNITA DAS, DR. MEGHANA JATTEPALLE, DR. RAMAN YENUGANDULA

Abstract

Strabismus is a condition with misalignment of visual axes between two eyes. It is a major risk factor for amblyopia in children and manifest childhood strabismus can cause psychosocial issues for both children and their parents. We aimed to assess the perception about it in the parents of children with strabismus in a tertiary eye care hospital and its psychosocial aspects. A structured questionnaire containing 17 questions were prepared and face-to-face interviews were conducted for 50 parents. Statistical analysis of the collected data showed,no idea about strabismus-32%,no vision loss in strabismus-26%,bothered with it-88%,a cosmetic issue-76% and 54% felt marital rejection is associated with strabismus. As evident in the study, parents with low education comparatively had less knowledge about the disease which can adversely affect the visual rehabilitation and treatment outcome. Thus, proper health education and awareness regarding childhood strabismus is of utmost importance.