Persistent strabismus presenting after cataract surgery.

To determine causative factors of persistent strabismus presenting after cataract surgery, the surgical techniques and subsequent motility findings of eight patients who had persistent postoperative strabismus were studied. In two of the eight patients, complications related to the placement of the bridle suture were believed causative based on subsequent surgical findings. A similar etiology could be speculated in an additional three patients. An isolated vascular accident coincident to the cataract operation could account for a sixth case. The final two patients were believed to have a decompensated congenital fourth nerve palsy. In no patients could the myotoxic effect of a local anesthetic or the hypoxic effect of an ocular pressure-reduction device plausibly account for the deviation.