title: Cataract and pterygium surgery results in Venezuelan patients treated in the Misión Milagro program.
abstract: An intervention to address vision loss was carried out in 2008 in Táchira, Venezuela, by health teams of the joint Cuban-Venezuelan initiative known as Misión Milagro. It included active case identification of patients with ophthalmologic conditions and, where warranted, surgery, followup, rehabilitation and medical discharge. From a universe of 345 patients aged ≥18 years with ophthalmologic conditions found, 210 were selected for cataract or pterygium surgery. Of cataract patients, 55.2% recovered optimal vision within three months after surgery, as did 90.9% of those with pterygium; frequency of complications was 15.4% in cataract patients and 41.7% in pterygium patients. The intervention was considered successful, although many patients' low-income status required premature postoperative return to their jobs and other labors, a factor considered detrimental to optimal recovery.
authors.affiliation: Dr Salvador Allende General Teaching Hospital, Havana, Cuba. idalia.triana@infomed.sld.cu
authors.forename: Idalia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Triana
authors.forename: Oaris Angeles de Los
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Socarrás
authors.forename: Nelsis
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rondón
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003462:Cuba; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008493:Medical Missions; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011625:Pterygium / Q000601:surgery*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology; D016526:Workload / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult