Objective To explore the effect of sevoflurane and propofol in anesthesia of pediatric strabismus surgery. Methods A total of 72 children with strabismus admitted to our hospital from October 2021 to October 2023 were selected as the research objects. They were divided into control group and observation group by random number table method, with 36 children in each group. The control group was infused with propofol, and the observation group was inhaled with sevoflurane. The vital signs, anesthesia recovery and incidence of agitation were compared between the two groups. Results There was no significant difference in DBP and SBP between the two groups (P >0.05). The HR of the observation group at T2, T3, T4 and T5 was higher than that of the control group (P <0.05). The PACU stay time and Steward reaching 4 points time in the observation group were longer than those in the control group, and the spontaneous breathing recovery time was shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05). Although the extubation time in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant (P >0.05). The incidence of agitation during anesthesia induction and anesthesia recovery in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P >0.05). Conclusion Sevoflurane inhalation is more effective in pediatric strabismus surgery anesthesia, which can improve the vital signs of children and accelerate the recovery time of spontaneous breathing. It is worthy of clinical application.