Strabismus and mental disorders among Israeli adolescents.

PURPOSE: To assess the association between strabismus and mental disorders in adolescents.

METHODS

This case-control study included 662,641 Israeli teenagers that underwent medical evaluation by the Israel Defense Force as part of the preconscription assessment between 2005 and 2013. The association between common mental disorders (anxiety disorder, mood disorder, adjustment disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) and either uncorrected strabismus or corrected strabismus was examined. The association with strabismus correction was assessed by the differences between the corrected and uncorrected groups.

RESULTS

The mean age at the time of the examination was 17.3 ± 0.53 years, with a male predominance (59%). A total of 1,598 subjects (0.24%) had strabismus. Of those, 952 (60%) underwent successful correction and 646 (40%) did not undergo successful correction. A significant association was found between uncorrected strabismus and anxiety disorders (OR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.02-3.57; P = 0.047) and between corrected strabismus and ADHD (OR = 2.62; 95% CI = 1.18-5.87; P = 0.03). Strabismus correction (as assessed by comparing the uncorrected and corrected strabismus groups) was not significantly associated with the mental disorders we examined, but a nearly statistically significant association with anxiety disorder was observed (OR = 2.978; 95% CI, 1.013-8.754; P = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence from our cohort suggests that strabismus correction, even in the absence of visual impairment, is not associated with mental disorders examined in this study.