Observational studyInternational ophthalmology2026
Socioeconomic factors affecting visual acuity in cataract camps.
Observational study in International ophthalmology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundCataracts are the leading cause of reversible blindness worldwide. Though temporary and resource-intensive, cataract camps provide large-scale treatment of the condition. This study sought for associations between country-level socioeconomic factors and short-term improvements in visual acuity observed in cataract camps across 17 countries.
methodsThis observational study represents 52 camps in 17 low- and middle-income countries. Nested mixed-effects linear regression models were used to analyze associations between changes in LogMAR score of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) one to four days post-operation and socioeconomic factors including per capita GDP, Human Development Index, Cataract Surgical Rate, and density of in-country ophthalmologists.
findingsAmong 4110 patients, after accounting for age and sex, LogMAR UCVA significantly decreased over the first four days postoperatively (p < 0·0001). This decrease was also associated with the number of ophthalmologists per million performing cataract surgery (p = 0·0227). Patients who underwent extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) exhibited a greater decrease in LogMAR UCVA per day post-op (p < 0·0001). Per capita GDP was not significantly associated with the change in LogMAR UCVA per day post-op.
interpretationThis ecological analysis shows that countries with fewer ophthalmologists performing cataract surgery correlated with the most short-term improvement in vision. Considering that cataract camps often target populations with severe baseline cataracts, training local ophthalmologists to perform ECCE surgery may help lift a high burden of cataract-induced blindness in low-resource settings.
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