Cataract surgery in India: results of a 1995 survey of ophthalmologists.

The aim of this study was to investigate cataract surgery procedures and caseloads among Indian ophthalmologists in private and government practices. Members of the All India Ophthalmological Society and state ophthalmic societies were surveyed by mail questionnaire in December 1995. Out of 6,800 surveyed, 2,098 responses (31%) were received. Over 61% of the 990,249 reported cataract surgeries were carried out in private facilities with 24% of private patients receiving extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and 41% ECCE with intraocular lens (IOL). Intracapsular cataract extraction remains more common in government facilities with 62% of cases. Over 85% of all surgeons reported some experience with ECCE/IOL. Surgeons operating in both private and government facilities carry an average annual caseload of 861 cataract surgeries, which is twice that of their colleagues operating exclusively in either private or government settings. Although the questionnaire response rate was low, the findings suggest that ECCE is more common in India than in generally recognized, and with the recent availability of low-cost IOLs, its popularity is rapidly expanding.