Effective cataract surgical coverage in adults aged 50 years and older: empirical estimates from population-based surveys in 68 countries and modelled estimates for 2000-30 - PubMed
7 days ago
- #global health
- #cataract
- #vision care
- Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, despite treatment being cost-effective.
- The 74th World Health Assembly set a global target to increase effective cataract surgical coverage (eCSC) by 30 percentage points by 2030.
- Study analyzed 233 population-based surveys from 68 countries (2003-24) to estimate eCSC, focusing on adults aged 50+.
- eCSC6/18 estimates ranged from 2.1% in Burundi to 77.7% in Qatar.
- Global eCSC6/18 predicted to be 48.2% in 2025, increasing by 8.4 percentage points from 2020 to 2030.
- Uncorrected refractive error accounted for 26.4% of non-good outcomes; correcting it could improve eCSC6/12 by 3.7 percentage points.
- Current efforts are insufficient to meet the 2030 target, requiring immediate investment in cataract services.
- Recommendations include improving cataract care pathways and collecting quality indicators for better service provision.