AIM:To study effect of intermittent exotropia operation in children of different ages.

METHODS: Totally 300 cases of children who underwent intermittent exotropia surgery in our hospital from March 2015 to April 2017 were selected as the study subjects. According to the age of children, there were 110 cases in Group A, aged from 3 to 5 years. Group B: 100 cases, ages 6 to 8 years. There were 90 cases in Group C, aged from 9 to 12 years. All three groups of children underwent intermittent exotropia surgery. The clinical efficacy, strabismus before and after operation, fusion function and stereoscopic acuity were compared.

RESULTS: After 6wk, the total effective rate of clinical efficacy in Group A was 92.7%, significantly higher than that in Group B(67.0%)and Group C(68.9%,P<0.05). Before surgery, no statistically significant differences were found in the levels of strabismus, fusion, and stereoscopic acuity between the three groups(P>0.05). At 6wk postoperatively, the children in the three groups had decreased levels of strabismus, and the stereoscopic acuity and fusion function were significantly improved. In addition, the strabismus and stereoscopic acuity of the children in Group A were significantly lower than those in Group B and Group C, and the fusion function was significantly higher than that in Group B and Group C, with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The age of the children with intermittent exotropia is closely related to the recovery and reconstruction of binocular vision.