Diabetes is a Barrier for Low Uptake of Cataract Surgical Services in India: A Population-Based Perspective

Aims : To assess the utilization of cataract surgery (CS) and barriers for low uptake of CS among people aged 50 years or older in India. Methods: It is a population-based, cross-sectional, epidemiologic survey conducted India. Presenting visual acuity (VA), history of cataract surgery and operable cataract were assessed house to house by trained field investigators. Information on barriers to CS were also collected. Results: The mean age was 63.8±8.9 (range 50-108 years) with equal gender distribution. In LR model, presence of diabetes and north Indian state of residence were significantly associated with lower CS (p Conclusion: The increasing prevalence of diabetes and lack of awareness about cataract are major challenges in cataract surgical uptake in India. This has public health implications in India especially due to epidemic increased proportion of diabetes.