Clinical characteristics and risk factors of acute acquired concomitant esotropia in last 5 years: a retrospective case–control study

A remarkable increase in the number and proportion of surgical patients with acute acquired concomitant esotropia (AACE) has been noted in our hospital in recent years. We aimed to analyse the clinical characteristics and associated risk factors of this increasing number of strabismus in last 5 years.Medical information was obtained in 62 AACE patients and 73 orthotropic patients as control group completed questionnaires and examination items from March 2017 to May 2020. Data included age at onset, refractive error, angle of deviation, binocular vision, eye care habits, and optical quality of spectacles.Of the 62 AACE patients, the mean ± standard deviation age at onset was 25.3 ± 8.5 years, with 47 (75.8%) cases showing myopia, 9 (14.5%) showing emmetropia, and 6 (9.7%) showing hypermetropia. Among the AACE patients, 35 (56.5%) performed >8 h of close work daily and 36 (58.1%) reported late-night use of digital devices. When compared with the control group, the risk factors identified for AACE included long durations of close work (odds ratio [OR], 11.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.53-38.91; P < 0.001) and immoderate late-night use of digital devices (OR, 14.29; 95% CI, 4.10-49.72; P < 0.001).Our study demonstrated that young adults accounted for the majority of the growing number of individuals affected by AACE in last 5 years, and excessive close visual activities and immoderate late-night use of digital devices were found to be associated with the onset of AACE.