Cataract burden and uptake of cataract surgical services: Results from a population-based survey.

Background: Global estimates suggest that approximately two thirds of the blind population are females. Cataract accounts for over half of all blindness worldwide. Surgery is curative. However, in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, people have limited access to services. We estimated the burden of “operable cataract” and assessed for any gender inequality in the uptake of cataract surgical services.Method: Using a multi-staged stratified random sampling with probability proportional to size, three local government areas in Plateau state were selected. The study instrument was the Rapid Assessment of Cataract Surgical Services (RACSS) Proforma.Results: 4115 persons were examined (coverage: 98%). Prevalence of “operable cataract” (VA <6/60 in the better eye) was 3.3%, more among females 78 (3.6%) than males 57 (2.9%). Prevalence of unilateral “operable cataract” was 7.2%. The Cataract surgical coverage (persons) was 43.8%, among males it was 49.1% and for females 39.1% ( p>0.05.) The burden of cataract would have been reduced by 28.1% if the CSC was equal for both genders.Conclusion: The burden of cataract is high; uptake of services is low especially among females.Keywords: Epidemiology, Africa, Surgery, Gender, Ocula