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ABSTRACT
Strabismus is a visual disorder where the eyes are misaligned and point in different directions. Untreated strabismus can lead to amblyopia, loss of binocular vision, and social stigma due to its appearance. Knowledge of the symptoms, causes, treatment and potential effect of this condition is pertinent for early screening and prevention of strabismus. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of parents and guardians toward strabismus in Egor local government area, Benin City. Convenience sampling technique was used to select participants for the study. The study population was drawn from churches, marketplaces and schools within the local government. A pretested questionnaire was used for this study. The data was analysed using SPSS Version 22.0. Descriptive statistics was used to obtain frequency and mean distribution while cross tabulations was used to obtain chi-square values. The data was presented in tables using descriptive statistics that is, frequency and percentages. A total of 346 participants (40.2% males, 59.8% females) were enrolled in this study. The age of the participants were 25 – 65 years (mean 41 ± 9.47). A large majority of the participants were married (74.9%) and tertiary education was more predominant among respondents (57.5%). Approximately 99% of respondents had heard about strabismus and 71.1% had encountered individuals with strabismus at least once. The major symptoms of strabismus reported were poor vision (21.8%) and bending head sideways (17.3%). Genetic disorder (23.4%) and weak eye muscles (16.2%) were the causes mostly reported. Participants primarily favoured surgery (39.9%) as a treatment option for strabismus. A greater number of participants had positive attitude and healthy practices towards strabismus, however, the level of knowledge of strabismus was poor in this population. Key words: strabismus, amblyopia, esotropia, exotropia, binocular vision, stereopsis, diplopia, suppression.
