New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) Nearly one in two people with cataract blindness worldwide still cannot access a simple surgery that restores sight, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal.
Cataract surgery -- a simple 15-minute procedure -- is among the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and a 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, analysed 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 having a 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 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 in ensuring access to a sight-restoring surgery for the 94 million people around the world affected by cataract, 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 undeserved areas.
The UN health agency also recommended targeted efforts to prioritise women and marginalised communities for reducing persistent inequities and ensuring that gains in access benefit everyone. PTI KRS
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