Opinion of headhunters about the ability of strabismic subjects to obtain employment.

BACKGROUND Through the opinion of Swiss headhunters, we wanted to determine the influence of strabismus on the ability to obtain employment. METHODS Out of 31 randomly selected Swiss headhunters, 20 could be interviewed using a validated questionnaire. RESULTS Forty-seven percent of the headhunters judged that strabismic subjects have more difficulties in obtaining a job. Gender has no influence on discrimination (p > 0.1). Asked about six facial disfigurements, strabismus was found to have the second largest negative impact on employment directly after acne. Strabismus was estimated to decrease the attractiveness of job applicants (p < 0.0001) and to have a negative impact on the overall judgment of a potential employer (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Visible strabismus influences negatively the ability to obtain a job. Because of its impact on the employability of a person, we believe that strabismus surgery in adults cannot be considered to be only a beautifying procedure.