title: Low positive predictive value of referrals for infantile esotropia among children of Chinese descent.
abstract: The prevalence of strabismus varies according to the population studied, ethnicity, and geographic region. Previous studies of Asian populations have found that, unlike Western populations, esotropia is 2.5 times less common than exotropia. Because of the homogeneous nature of the local populations studied, however, it is difficult to ascertain the real difference in the epidemiology among ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to determine the positive predictive value of referrals for infantile esotropia in otherwise healthy children referred to a tertiary eye care center in a large center in North America that serves a ethnically diverse population of over 8 million. We found a very low positive predictive value (5.9%) and a very high false referral rate (94.1%) among Chinese children referred for early-onset esotropia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: María del Pilar
authors.initials: Mdel P
authors.lastname: González-Díaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: agnes.wong@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Agnes M F
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004948:Esotropia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies