Human Cataract in Non-coastal Districts

A six-year study was conducted to compare the prevalence of cataract in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta in Kerala state, India. From April 2005 to March 2011, a hospital-based study was performed to determine the prevalence of cataracts in the overall population, gender prevalence, and prevalence in different age groups. The information was gathered from the ophthalmology departments of district hospitals and two private hospitals in Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, as well as the Directorate of Health, Thiruvananthapuram. The burden of blind is more in remote rural community of developing countries. With three out of every four Indians residing in the rural areas, there is a concentration of blindness in agriculture dependent communities in India. Cataract prevalence among the total population in Kottayam district was significantly increased from 0.34% to 0.51% (p=0.000157), but in Pathanamthitta district prevalence significantly decreased from 0.40 % to 0.36% (p=0.0024). Gender prevalence is significantly higher in females in Kottayam (61.6%, 0.0000326) as well as in Pathanamthitta (59%, 0.00014) than in males, suggest that females have more cataract. A significantly highest prevalence recorded in the age group of 71-80 years in Kottayam (36.6%, 0.000072) and Pathanamthitta (33.6%, 0.000312) as compared with all other age groups. Prevalence of congenital cataract (0-15) is very less in Kottayam (1.2%) and Pathanamthitta(0.9%). The decrease in the prevalence rate in Pathanamthitta district is attributed to a decrease in the population.Only by developing effective strategies to low the incidence of blinding cataract can cataract blindness in Kerala be effectively managed. The current analysis of cataract prevalence in Kerala may shed light on the severity of cataract incidence in the state to some extent.