Chennai: ‘City sees spurt in cataract cases in last few months’

CHENNAI: Ophthalmologists are detecting more cases of cataract in the city, that too in advanced stages, over the last few months, said senior ophthalmologist Dr Srinivasan G Rao from the Agarwal Eye Hospital.
“There has been more than a fivefold increase in the number of cataract cases in the city, especially in the 50-70 years age group, in the past one year,” he said.For every 100 outpatients who visit private hospitals, anywhere between 40 and 60 are diagnosed with cataract conditions. Most of them are end-stage cataracts. Earlier, it was around 10 per 100 outpatients,” the senior ophthalmologist said.
Similar numbers are seen in outreach camps as well, he said.
The reason for the increased delays in screening and treatment for cataracts, disruption in eye care services and cataract surgeries at hospitals - besides, uncontrolled blood pressure, hypertension & diabetes during the Covid years. “Several people avoided coming to hospitals during Covid and several eye hospitals were converted into Covid care centres,” he said.
About 40-60% of blindness in India is caused by cataract. As per the recent estimates of National Programme for Control of Blindness, India is home to about 8.25 million cataract population. However, for want of hospitals and experts, only about 1.5 to 2 million cataract surgeries are performed in the country, while India needs 5-6 million cataract surgeries to clear the backlog. “Covid has only added to the burden,” he said urging people to meet their eye specialist for annual check ups. “Most hospitals follow Covid protocols and are safe,” he said.