Effect of the base-out recovery point as the surgical target for acute acquired comitant esotropia

To evaluate the treatment efficacy of the preoperative base-out recovery point as the surgical target angle for acute acquired comitant esotropia.Prospective study. Twenty-two patients with acute acquired comitant esotropia (AACE) underwent strabismus surgery based on the target angle of the preoperative base-out recovery point. The postoperative deviation, positive fusional vergence, and negative fusional vergence were evaluated and compared with those of 23 normal individuals.The mean follow-up period was 18.68 ± 19.48 months. At the last follow-up, 19 (86.4%) of 22 subjects had orthophoria, whereas 3 (13.6%) had minimal esophoria. The postoperative angle of deviation was significantly smaller than the preoperative angle of deviation at near (P 0.001) and distance (P 0.001). Postoperative sensory fusion was significantly better than preoperative fusion at near (P 0.001) and distance (P 0.001). The postoperative stereoacuity improved significantly after the surgery at near (P 0.001) and distance (P 0.001). Compared with the controls, the convergence and divergence amplitudes in the AACE patients were similar at distance (P 0.05) but were still narrower at near (P 0.001).Good alignment and binocular balance were obtained with the surgical target angle of the base-out recovery point in AACE.