High-volume Intraocular Lens Surgery in a Rural Eye Camp in India

Abstract

* BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The appropriate surgical treatment for the enormous number of patients in developing nations who are blind due to cataract is a hody debated issue. The authors' objective is to demonstrate that modern surgical techniques (extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation, phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation) can be performed in a high-volume, costeffective manner, even in temporary settings. The authors believe that the approach to cataract blindness is not simple intracapsular cataract extraction, but rather the challenge of (1) training all ophthalmic personnel in modern techniques (microsurgery, biometry), (2) training managers in higher levels of organizational skill, and (3) doing these things in the face of limited resources. * PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1298 surgeries were performed in a public eye camp in Ganeshpuri, India (50 miles north of Bombay). Of these, 1214 (93.5%) of the patients received intraocular lens (IOL) implants. Ninety-three percent (1032/1 108) of the patients who underwent extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and IOL implantation and 89% (83/93) of the patients who underwent phacoemulsification and IOL implantation returned for follow-up. * RESULTS: Postoperatively, 48% (498/1032) of the patients who underwent ECCE and IOL implantation achieved corrected vision of 6/12 or better and 65% (671/1032) attained corrected vision of 6/ 1 8 or better. Of the patients who underwent phacoemulsification and IOL implantation, 59 of 83 (71%) attained vision of 6/12 or better with correction and 68 of 83 (79%) achieved vision of 6/18 or better with correction. These results are almost identical to those obtained by the authors in their Ganeshpuri 1991 camp. Surgical complication rates were comparable to those reported in hospitalbased studies. * CONCLUSION: For this type of camp to operate efficiently, there must be standardization of skills among ophthalmic personnel, costs must be contained, and the organizational skills necessary to ensure smooth functioning of the camp must exist. However, on the basis of their data, these authors believe that with suitable organizational and surgical facilities, IOL implantation can be successfully performed in high-volume surgical eye camps. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers 1996;27:200-208.]

Charitable Platforms in Global Surgery: A Systematic Review of their Effectiveness, Cost‐Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Role Training

“…Short-term, disease-specific surgical missions are myriad [27]: from ''eye camps'' in India [28][29][30][31][32][33] to ''ear camps'' in Namibia [34]; from organizations focused on facial clefting [19][20][21][22][23] to those focused on hernias [35], cardiac surgery [36], and endemic goiter [37]-services rendered, lengths of surgical trips, and resultant efficacies vary.…”

Small incision cataract surgery in rural communities in Uttar Pradesh: A clinical study of postoperative complications and visual outcomes at a tertiary eye hospital

“…11 Phacoemulsification is a machine-dependent technique with high financial investment and requires an adequate skill set, on the other hand, SICS has got all the benefits of instrumental phaco like high-quality cataract surgery, minimal surgically induced astigmatism, early rehabilitation, cheap non-foldable lens, no suture related problems, and less postoperative follow-up. 12,13 This technique is applicable in any remote part of the country with high volume output. 14 Therefore, SICS is the preferred technique to overcome the huge backlog of cataracts in our country with consistently good visual acuity post-operatively and negligible complications.…”