Esodeviation may be independently associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in the Korean population, a study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggests. This could be due to an ocular adduction-induced strain on the temporal optic nerve head and peripapillary tissues, according to the researchers.

The investigation reviewed the records of 11,114 participants aged 20 or older from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database from 2010 to 2011. Glaucoma diagnosis was based on fundus photography and perimetry results, and the study evaluated ocular alignment using the alternate prism and cover test. Clinically significant horizontal strabismus was defined as exodeviation of 15 or more prism diopters and esodeviation as 10 prism diopters or greater.

The researchers found subjects with clinically significant esodeviation had a much higher prevalence of POAG (12.32%) than those without clinically significant esodeviation (3.14%). After adjusting for age and intraocular pressure, clinically significant esodeviation remained independently associated with POAG (OR 7.61).