Recurrent esotropia is characterized by repeated recurrence of the preoperative angle of strabismus after initial operative alignment. It occurred in 19 of approximately 3,000 patients operated on for esotropia with an onset of birth or in childhood during a 10-year period. Among the etiologic factors to be considered are progressive and under corrected hypermetropia, the nystagmus blockage syndrome, the blind spot syndrome, abnormal fusional movements, an unstable high AC/A ratio, and non-accommodative convergence excess. None of these factors played an exclusive role in our patients.