Abstract

Background: Cataract is one of the most common causes of avoidable blindness in India. Cataract surgical coverage (CSC) is an important indicator of the need for improvement in eye care services.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to find out the CSC and its association with sociodemographic factors among elderly population.

Materials and Methods: This study was part of a community-based cross-sectional study carried out among elderly population residing at field practice area of Rural Health Training Centre and Urban Health Training Centre, JN Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. A sample of 550 was taken from the registered elderly population aged 60 years and above using systematic random sampling with probability proportional to size. Operable cataract was found to be among 343 elderly, and these elderly were assessed for overall coverage and sociodemographic association of cataract surgery. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Tests of proportion, Chi-square test, and multiple logistic regressions were used. P < 0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: CSC was found to be 32.9% in the study population which was significantly associated with age, sex, and SLI.

Conclusion: The CSC was very low in the study population.

Key words: Cataract Surgical Coverage; Elderly; Aligarh