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Demographic Profile of Patients with Bilateral Mature Cataract: A Cross-sectional Study from Central India

Introduction: In India, cataract is responsible for 50-80% of the bilateral blindness in the country. With government funded and private hospitals offering cataract surgeries, patients still report late with advanced bilateral cataract. There is scarcity of local data about the profile of late presenters of cataract and its associated factors. Aim: To study the socio-demographic profile of patients with bilateral mature and hypermature cataracts and to evaluate reasons for delayed presentation at the Ophthalmology Department of a medical college hospital in rural Chhattisgarh, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was carried out at Durg, Chhattisgarh, India over a period of 12 months from October 2018 to September 2019. The study comprised 48 consecutive and consenting adult patients of bilateral mature and hypermature cataracts reporting to the Outpatient Ophthalmology Department of a medical college included by convenience sampling. All patients were subjected to detailed history taking and ocular examination. Socio-demographic details and reasons for delay in reporting were obtained with a face-to-face interview. Descriptive data analysis was conducted and reported as mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentage. Results: The mean age of patients was 68.45±7.4 years. About 29 (60.42%) patients were females, 70.83% patients were unemployed or retired. About 87.5% patients stated having systemic co-morbidities. Lack of awareness, old age, systemic ailments, want of assistance and fear of surgery were the prime factors revealed for the delayed presentation to the hospital. Conclusion: Female sex, rural territory, low socio-economic status and lower literacy rates were associated with patients seeking delayed medical attention for cataract. Educational efforts and improvement in accessibility to health centres appear vital to overcome the hurdles in the way of timely presentation of cataract.