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Study: More cataract surgical coverage needed in Paraguay
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While the number of ophthalmologists is adequate in Paraguay, the accessibility of cataract surgical services in rural areas and the affordability of surgery are major constraints on the healthcare system, a new analysis concludes.
Researchers in Paraguay and at the World Health Organization examined 2,136 people in Paraguay to determine the rates of visual loss and blindness from cataract. For people older than 50, the age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of bilateral blindness was 3.14%. The adjusted prevalence of bilateral cataract blindness was 2.01%, making cataract the leading cause of blindness in the country. Cataract surgical coverage was 44% for bilaterally blind people, 36% for people with a bilateral visual acuity of less than 6/60 and 28% for any eye with a visual acuity of less than 6/60 because of cataract.
The study is published in Ophthalmic Epidemiology.