title: Evaluation of Cataract Surgery Outcomes at the Ban Phaeo Mobile Eye Clinic, Thailand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the quality and efficacy of the Ban Phaeo Mobile Eye Clinic (BPMEC) model in providing cataract surgery to rural Thailand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of 4-week postoperative visual acuity (VA) of 7040 patients receiving unilateral cataract surgery at 75 sites from October 2008 to March 2011. BPMEC conducted screening, surgery, and follow-up at partnering local hospitals that otherwise do not offer eye care. The primary outcome was achievement of VA ≥20/70, which was secondarily analyzed by cataract extraction method (phacoemulsification, phaco, or extracapsular cataract extraction, ECCE) and intraocular lens (IOL) type (foldable acrylic or rigid polymethylmethacrylate).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preoperatively, 249 eyes (4%) had uncorrected VA ≥20/70. Four weeks postoperatively, 5957 (85%) had VA ≥20/70, 3288 (47%) had VA ≥20/40, and 69 (1%) were lost to follow-up. Phaco was performed in 6324 eyes (90%), 1581 (25%) receiving foldable IOLs. A total of 1403 eyes (89%) undergoing phaco with a foldable IOL had postoperative VA ≥20/70, compared to 4058 (85%) and 496 (69%) of those undergoing phaco with a rigid IOL (p < 0.05) and ECCE with a rigid IOL (p < 0.001), respectively. Overall, 37 eyes were left aphakic. Reported intraocular complications included zonular dehiscence (37 eyes), retained lens fragment (2 eyes), wound leakage (1 eye), and posterior capsule tear (1 eye).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 4-week uncorrected postoperative VAs met the World Health Organization's quality target of VA ≥20/70 for eyes undergoing phaco and were comparable to those published by an urban hospital in Bangkok.
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester, NY , USA .
authors.forename: Alisa T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Thavikulwat
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thevenet-Morrison
authors.forename: Pornthep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pongtawigorn
authors.forename: Rajeev S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ramchandran
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008952:Mobile Health Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Cataract; cataract extraction; low vision; mobile health units; visual acuity