Strabismus-related prejudice in 5-6-year-old children

Abstract

Children as young as 5 years old are found to have negative social reactions towards peers with noticeable exotropia. These findings imply that children with noticeable strabismus may be subjected to social alienation at an early age.

Negative social reaction to strabismus in school children ages 8-12 years

“…8 The results of this study demonstrate that participants were less willing to sit next to a child with noticeable exotropia, regardless of the child's age. This behavior is a form of social rejection or social alienation, and children with strabismus may be subjected to such negative social reactions.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Very often, these children are embarrassed about their condition, have difficulty making eye contact, and have problems with self-esteem. 9 Such negative impact appears to persist into adulthood and can adversely influence one's social skills, 10 psychological health, 11,12 and employability.…”

“…The authors of other studies have demonstrated that children as young as 5 years of age are capable of negative reactions toward peers with obvious strabismus. 8,14 To address prejudice against individuals with strabismus, more studies are needed to identify the range of prejudicial behaviors children display toward peers with conspicuous strabismus. This study aims to clarify the degree of willingness of 8-to 12-year-old children to sit beside peers with noticeable exotropia.…”

Childhood intermittent exotropia from a different angle: does severity affect quality of life?

“…It is well known that strabismus has a negative psychosocial impact in patients of all ages,1–3 with children as young as 5 years demonstrating social bias towards peers with ocular misalignment 4. Intermittent exotropia (IXT) is a relatively common strabismus subtype with typical onset in early childhood.…”

Strabismus: aligning the doctor's vision with the patient's need

“…Children as young as 5 years old have been found to have negative social reactions towards peers with noticeable exotropia, thus subjecting them to early social alienation 29. Even teachers, who are expected to know better, display significant negative responses to strabismic children 30…”