Children with strabismus may be at an increased risk for mental illness, according to a large cross-sectional study. A moderate association was found between strabismus and anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder.
Children with strabismus experience increased difficulties with schoolwork, teasing and social exclusion by peers, and problems with self-image. Theoretically, this may expose them to a higher risk of developing mental illness, but so far studies on this subject have been based on small, geographically limited cohorts.
This new study used a large data set of