Visual outcomes after cataract surgery and cataract surgical coverage in India

Visual outcomes of 2369 cataract operated persons(3655 eyes) across seven m ajor Indian states were assessed in 1998. This is the largest ever study ov er the past decade in the country. 9.54 per cent of the examined population had undergone operation for cataract in one or both eyes. Intra-capsular c ataract extraction was the commonest surgical modality adopted (91.62%). In traocular lens implants resulted in better visual outcomes with 71.4 per ce nt of such patients achieving a good visual outcome (greater than or equal to 6/18 in operated eyes). Visual outcome was also good if ICCE operated pa tients were provided good quality of aphakic spectacles. There were no gend er differentials in surgical uptake rates. The risk of poor postsurgical vi sual outcome was strongly associated by type of surgery (Adjusted OR for IC CE-2.78; 95% CI: 1.41-5.49) and the non-availability or poor quality aphaki c spectacles (Adjusted OR for poor/no spectacles 4.59-95% CI: 3.53-5.97). D uration since surgery and the source of surgery did not influence visual ou tcomes. Half the cataract blind remained unoperated in the study population .