Health-related quality of life in children with untreated intermittent exotropia and their parents

Abstract

Purpose: To determine whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores improved or worsened over 3 years of observation in childhood intermittent exotropia without treatment.

Methods: A total of 111 children aged 3-11 years with intermittent exotropia were assigned to observation in a previously reported randomized trial comparing patching with observation. The intermittent exotropia questionnaire (IXTQ) was administered at baseline, 6 months, and 36 months. Rasch-calibrated IXTQ domain scores (Child, Proxy, Parent-psychosocial, Parent-function, and Parent-surgery) were compared between time points. The Child IXTQ was administered only to children ≥5 years of age (n = 78).

Results: Overall, Child IXTQ and Proxy IXTQ scores showed no significant change over 36 months (mean improvement from baseline to 36 months of 3.2 points [95% CI, -1.9 to 8.2] and -2.4 points [95% CI: -7.9 to 3.1], resp.). By contrast, Parent-psychosocial, Parent-function, and Parent-surgery domain scores all improved over 36 months (mean improvements of 12.8 points [95% CI, 5.9-19.6] and 14.2 points [95% CI, 8.0-20.3] and 18.5 points [95% CI, 9.7-27.3], resp.).

Conclusions: HRQOL of children with intermittent exotropia remains stable with observation over 3 years (by both child and proxy report), whereas parental HRQOL improves.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01032330.

FIG 1.

IXTQ scores at baseline, 6 months, and 36 months. A, Child IXTQ. B, Proxy IXTQ. C, Parent-psychosocial IXTQ. D, Parent-function IXTQ. E, Parent-surgery IXTQ. The center line of each box represents the median domain score, the boundary of each box represents 25th and 75th percentiles, and the whiskers represent the extreme values. The diamond within each box represents the mean value.