Difference of Parental Level of Concerns on Surgery according to the Perspectives and Characteristic among Pediatrics with Intermittent Exotropia.

Purpose: To evaluate the differences in the level of concerns regarding exotropia surgery according to the perspectives regarding surgery and basic characteristics of parents of pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia in Korea.

Methods: This study included the parents of pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia who underwent surgery at five hospitals, between June 2022 and February 2023. Parental perspectives, basic characteristics, and levels of concern regarding surgery were assessed using a questionnaire. We investigated the differences in concern levels according to perspectives regarding surgery and basic characteristics among parents, such as sex, age, residential area, and the most influential factors in the decision-making for surgery.

Results: Two hundred sixty-six parents were included (age: 40.0±4.7 years, 228 mothers). Parents who chose surgery for subjective symptoms had higher levels of concern about hemorrhage, conjunctival redness, and persistent overcorrection than did those who chose surgery for cosmetic reasons (All p<0.05). Fathers were more concerned about postoperative pain, compared with mothers (p=0.039). Parents in their 40-50s had higher levels of concern about the hospital environment compared with those in their 20-30s (p=0.003). Concern did not significantly differ by residential area.

Conclusions: The level of concern regarding surgery differed according to the perspectives and characteristics of the parents of pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia. Parents who chose surgery for subjective symptoms of exotropia had a higher level of concern than did those who chose surgery for cosmetic reasons. The concern level differed according to the parents' sex and age but not their residential area.