New Delhi, February 12 According to a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal, nearly one in two people with cataract blindness worldwide still cannot access a simple surgery that restores sight.
Cataract surgery – a simple 15-minute procedure – is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight.
Researchers, including experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and members of the Effective Cataract Surgical Coverage (eCSC) study group, analyzed population-based surveys – called 'Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness' (RAAB) – from 68 countries, including a nationally representative survey from India.
"We used 130 studies to report 68 country estimates of eCSC6/18," the authors said. 'eCSC6/18' is a measure of effective cataract surgical coverage among individuals with visual acuity of less than 6/18 (moderate to severe vision impairment).
"Globally, we predicted eCSC6/18 of 48.2 per cent in 2025, increasing by 8.4 percentage points between 2020 and 2030," they wrote, adding that the global target of a 30 per cent increase in effective cataract surgery coverage by 2030 is "unlikely to be met".
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to ensure access to sight-restoring surgery for the 94 million people around the world affected by cataracts, it said in a statement.
Global coverage of cataract surgery has increased by about 15 per cent over the past two decades, even as ageing populations and increasing cataract cases have boosted overall demand, the WHO said.
The latest modelling study predicts an increase of 8.4 per cent in the global coverage for cataract surgery this decade. However, progress needs to accelerate sharply to meet the World Health Assembly target of a 30 per cent increase by 2030, the UN health agency said.
The WHO suggested integrating vision screening and eye examinations into primary health care and investing in essential surgical infrastructure for countries to accelerate progress.
It added that the eye-care workforce should be expanded and better distributed, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
The UN health agency also recommended targeted efforts to prioritize women and marginalized communities in order to reduce persistent inequities and ensure that gains in access benefit everyone.