Cataract surgery in surgical camps: outcomes in a rural area of Cameroon

Visual outcomes and complications after phacoemulsification and small incision manual cataract surgery in two eye hospitals

PURPOSE

To evaluate and compare the visual outcomes and complications of cataract surgery in two referral eye hospitals in southern Nigeria.

METHODS

Case records of patients who underwent elective cataract surgery at two referral eye hospitals from February 2017-2022 were collected retrospectively. Demographics, preoperative visual acuity (VA), anterior and posterior segment details, intraoperative and postoperative complications, VA at day 1, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively were analyzed. The visual outcomes and complications of the phacoemulsification (PHACO) and manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) groups were compared. VA after cataract surgery was graded according to the WHO criteria.

RESULTS

A total of 3923 eyes underwent cataract surgery. The mean age was 65.30±17.50 years, and the majority (63.0%) were females. Approximately 1271 (32.4%) had unilateral cataracts, while 2652 (67.6%) were affected bilaterally. PHACO and MSICS were performed in 87.9% and 12.1% of cases, respectively. The proportion of eyes with good VA increased from 0.01% to 93.80% for PHACO-operated eyes and 2.50% to 92.30% for MSICS-operated eyes. Out of the 686 (17.49%) eyes with preexisting ocular pathology, the most common was glaucoma (281, 40.96%). More intraoperative complications occurred in the MSICS group (12.45%) compared to PHACO (5.89%), which was statistically significant (P-value<0.001). More postoperative complications (early and late) were seen in the MSICS group compared to the PHACO group, which was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Even though MSICS is performed more often in complicated cases, the study shows that experienced surgeons who perform PHACO and MSICS surgeries achieve similar visual acuity outcomes and complication rates.

Through the fog: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and associated factors of poor post-operative visual outcome of cataract surgery in Sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND

Cataract, despite being treatable, persists to have a devastating impact on people's health and livelihoods all over the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), 1.7 million people are blind and 6.94 million are visually impaired due to cataract. Also, Cataract surgery outcomes remain below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations in SSA. Hence, this review aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence and associated factors of poor post-operative visual outcome in SSA.

METHOD

An intensive literature search was performed from PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, HINARI, Scopus, and Web of Sciences. Data were extracted by using a pre-tested and standardized data extraction format and analyzed by using STATA 17 statistical software. I2 tests to appraise the heterogeneity across the included studies, a random-effect model to estimate the pooled prevalence, and a sub-group analysis to discern the viable source of heterogeneity were executed. Potential publication bias was also assessed by funnel plot, Egger's weighted correlation, and Begg's regression. The odds ratio with its 95% confidence was used to reckon the association between the prevalence and factors.

RESULT

From 201 identified studies, 25 articles were included. The pooled prevalence of poor post-operative visual outcome of cataract surgery in SSA was 14.56% (95% CI 11.31, 17.81). The presence of intra-operative complications (AOR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.79, 4.98) and the presence of post-operative complications (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI: 2.86, 4.43) were statistically significant with the pooled poor post-operative visual outcome. According to the subgroup analysis, the pooled prevalence of poor post-operative visual outcome was found lower in phacoemulsification, with a sub-pooled prevalence of 12.32% (95% CI 7.89, 16.74) compared to incisional with a sub-pooled prevalence of 16.28% (95% CI 10.98, 21.59).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis revealed that a substantial proportion of cataract-operated patients had poor post-operative visual outcome. The presence of intra-operative complications and post-operative complications were independent predictors of poor post-operative visual outcome. Therefore, improvement of post-operative visual outcome through decreasing intra-operative complications, managing post-operative complications, and investing in specialized training and equipment for ophthalmic surgeons are pivotal and need significant emphasis.

Humanitarian missions and visual outcomes in cataract surgery: A literature review

The limited accessibility to ophthalmological services in remote regions of developing countries poses a significant challenge in visual healthcare. Cataracts and refractive errors are prominent causes of visual impairment, and surgery, despite being an efficient option, faces barriers in developing countries due to financial and geographical constraints. Humanitarian missions play a vital role in addressing this issue. The improvement in the accuracy of calculating IOL power through techniques such as keratometry and biometry is a fundamental step towards optimizing surgical outcomes and the quality of life for patients in these underserved regions. In this context, the consideration of keratometry and immersion ultrasound biometry as preoperative assessment standards in cataract surgeries in developing countries is presented as a pertinent and advisable strategy.

Intraocular pressure screening during high-volume cataract surgery outreach in Ethiopia

Introduction

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and is often undetected in resource-limited settings. Early screening and treatment of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) reduces both the development and progression of visual field defects. IOP screening in developing countries is limited by access to ophthalmic equipment, trained ophthalmic staff, and follow up. High-volume cataract surgery outreaches in resource-limited countries provide ample opportunity for glaucoma screening, intervention and follow up.

Methods

This prospective cross-sectional study took place during a cataract outreach campaign sponsored by the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) in partnership with Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, during April 5th – April 10th 2021. IOP was measured on the surgical eye of patients before undergoing small incision cataract surgery (SICS) using rebound tonometry with an iCare tonometer model IC100.

Results

Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured in 604 eyes of 595 patients who received SICS. Mean IOP was 12.1 mmHg (SD = 5.0 mmHg). A total of 29 patients had an IOP greater than 21 mmHg representing 4.8% of total IOP measurements. A total of 17 patients received oral acetazolamide prior to surgery to acutely lower IOP. Six of these patients had their surgery delayed due to elevated IOP and 9 patients received excisional goniotomy at the time of SICS. A temporal approach during SCIS was taken for all patients with elevated IOP to allow for possible trabeculectomy at a future date.

Discussion

IOP screening during high-volume cataract outreach campaigns can be performed safely, accurately and on a large scale with minimal resources and supplemental training. Pre-operative IOP measurement can improve surgical care at the time of cataract surgery as well as help establish long-term follow up for patients with glaucoma.

Prevalence of cataract and cataract surgery in urban and rural Chinese populations over 50 years old: a systematic review and Meta-analysis

AIM

To summarize the data of epidemiological studies on cataract prevalence over 50 years old in urban and rural areas of China from 2000 to 2020, and to analyze the prevalence of cataract and operation rate in China.

METHODS

By searching PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Wanfang Data and CNKI, Chinese and English literatures on the prevalence of cataract in China were retrieved, and the relevant characteristic data were extracted. Then, Stata v15SE software was used for Meta-analysis and heterogeneity test. According to the results of heterogeneity, the corresponding effect models were selected to combine the extracted data.

RESULTS

A total of 20 studies were included in this study, with a total of 111 434 cases. Meta-analysis showed heterogeneity. According to the random effect model, the overall prevalence of cataract in Chinese people over 50 years old was 27.45%, that in rural was 28.79%, and that in urban was 26.66%. The overall coverage rate of cataract surgery was 9.19%.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of cataract is high in China, and there is still room for improvement in surgical coverage, so it is very important to promote cataract screening and prevention.