Purpose: To determine subjective symptoms and medical history of patients with intermittent exotropia in a large study population.
Methods: The Korean Intermittent Exotropia Multicenter Study (KIEMS) is a nationwide, observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study conducted by the Korean Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (KAPOS) including 5385 patients with intermittent exotropia. Subjective symptoms and medical history of patients with intermittent exotropia were extracted by a comprehensive survey based on a self-administered questionnaire according to the study protocol of the KIEMS.
Results: The mean age of symptom onset was 5.5 years of age. The most common symptom reported in patients with intermittent exotropia was photophobia (52.1%), followed by diplopia at near (7.3%) and distance fixation (6.2%). Preterm birth was found in 8.8%, and 4.1% had perinatal complications. A family history of strabismus was present in 14.9%, and 5.5% of patients had a family member who underwent strabismus surgery.
Conclusions: The KIEMS is one of the largest clinical studies on intermittent exotropia. Intermittent exotropia frequently caused photophobia and diplopia, and patients with a family history was not uncommon.
Keywords: Exotropia; Multicenter study; Questionnaire; Symptom.