Motor skills in children affected by strabismus

Objectives: To compare motor skills in patients with infantile strabismus and age and sex-matched control subjects aged 5–11 years. Methods: Motor performances were assessed by the Italian version of Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ) in children with infantile strabismus and age and sex-matched control subjects. Patients affected by specific neurological, cognitive and behavioural disorders were excluded from the study. Results: There were 43 patients included in the study, 23 in the strabismus group (14 males, 9 females, mean age 7.5 ± 2.0 years) and 24 in the control group (14 males and 10 females, mean age 7.2 ± 1.7 years. The overall DCDQ score was significantly lower in children with strabismus compared with control subjects (58.7 ± 11.3 vs. 74.2 ± 1.5; P < 0.001). Children with strabismus and no stereopsis showed a lower DCDQ score compared with those with normal stereopsis (50.8 ± 9.5 vs. 67.3 ± 4.8; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Motor skills are reduced in children with strabismus compared with control subjects. Strabismus and lack of binocular vision are factors potentially contributing to developmental coordination disorder.