[Magnitude and strategies of cataract management in the world].
Although cataracts cause 47% of global blindness, their epidemiologic impact in different countries is notoriously uneven and the world can be divided into two zones according to economic conditions. In advanced countries where care is good, cataracts account for only 5% of blindness while cataracts still account for 50% of blindness in developing countries. After a brief overview of historical, clinical and therapeutic aspects, this article updates epidemiological data on cataracts in the world. It also provides insight into political, socio-economic, and cultural factors adversely affecting care availability in developing countries thus making cataracts a major public health problem and an obstacle for development. Finally this article offers a few recommendations for reducing the backlog of cataracts in the world and for consolidating advances made over the last two decades thanks to experience gained in various National Blindness Prevention Programs (NBPP).
Lawani
R
R
Service d'ophtalmologie, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Laveran, Marseille, France. dassabenin@yahoo.fr
Pommier
S
S
Roux
L
L
Chazalon
E
E
Meyer
F
F
D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D014943:Global Health; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors