Half of people with cataracts cannot have surgery

Half of the people who are affected by cataracts all over the world They do not have access to surgery to treat this eye condition, which means that about 94 million people currently live with vision problems or blindness due to cataracts, according to a report in which the World Health Organization (WHO) has collaborated.

“The cataract is the lens opacitythe lens of the eye, which causes blurred vision over time. We know that the treatment is simple and it is a surgery that lasts 15 minutes. It is one of the most common surgeries in high-income countries,” explained the WHO technical manager for eye care, visual impairment and blindness, Stuart Keel.

However, the new analysis, published in The Lancet Global Healthwarns about the inequity in access to this operation. Although access to surgery has increased by about 15% over the past two decades and coverage is expected to increase by 8.4% during this decade, Keel said progress is “slow.”

The report, which analyzes data from 68 countries, points out that Africa is the most affected regionsince three out of four people who need it cannot have surgery on this continent. “In Kenya specifically, with the current rate of surgery, 77% of people who need cataract surgery will die with vision problems or blindness before being able to access surgery,” Keel pointed out as an example.

There is also observed a gap between sexes that impacts women. According to the document, women are disproportionately affected in all regions, systematically experiencing a less access to care than men.

In this context, the WHO has urged countries to take action and move towards the goal they set in 2021, when the World Health Assembly established the goal of increase effective cataract surgical coverage by 30% by 2030. “The data tells us that we are only advancing at a third of the pace necessary to achieve this goal,” Keel stated.

Improvement points

Stuart Keel has detailed the aspects on which attention should be focused, highlighting among them the development and training of healthcare workers to offer vision care, in addition to ensuring that they are available throughout the country. “Currently, we see a large concentration of eye care services that are provided only in urban areas“, he pointed out.

Despite being one of the most profitable interventions, Keel has pointed out that the cost that patients must assume for surgery is one of the most limiting barriers. “Therefore, it is essential that governments take greater responsibility for cataract surgery and include it in the health and insurance service packages“, he pointed out.

In this regard, he has advocated establishing public-private partnerships to expand access to this procedure, especially in high-risk populations, given that the majority of eye care services are now provided by the private sector.

Lastly, he highlighted the need to raise awareness among the population about vision risks, thereby addressing “common misconceptions” such as vision decline being “a normal part” of aging, when in fact there are effective and simple solutions in most cases.

How to prevent the risk of cataracts?

The WHO expert has stated that, among the risk factors for cataracts, there is agingwhich cannot be controlled, and others against which the population can act, such as prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, smokethe eye injuriesconditions such as diabetes or prolonged use of steroidsamong others.

In this sense, it has encouraged the population to protect their vision from exposure to ultraviolet rays through the use of sunglasses, hats and eye protection in general. Likewise, he has urged people to go for periodic eye checkups, especially as they get older.

“In most cases, many vision problems can be prevented if diagnosed early or can be addressed with very effective treatments. Therefore, it is essential to know that these conditions They are much easier to treat if they are detected early“, he highlighted.

Keel commented that, taking into account that exposure to UVB rays is a proven key risk factor, it can be assumed, without having data on the matter, that in countries and regions with greater exposure to these raysthere would be an increased risk of early-onset cataracts.

As for the climate changehas pointed out that there is no specific data that allows us to affirm that this phenomenon is increasing the prevalence of cataracts. However, he has stated that some preliminary data shows that it is causing complications in certain eye diseasessuch as eye infections and ocular surface diseases, not specifically cataracts.