[The deterioration of refractive accommodative esotropia].

137 patients with refractive accommodative esotropia who were followed for at least 5 years were investigated. The results showed that in 23 of the 137 patients (16.8%) occurred the deterioration of esotropia that means esotropia can no longer be controlled by wearing a pair of complete corrective spectacles. The deterioration develops most likely in patients with delay of anti-accommodative therapy or with malfunction of binocular vision. The age of onset, refractive status and the visual acuity difference between bilateral eyes are not etiologic factors in the process of deterioration. We consider that early diagnosis of accommodative esotropia, timely prescription of optical correction and maintenance of normal binocular vision play important roles in preventing the deterioration.