Journal of agromedicine
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2004
ReviewCataract blindness in the developing world: is there a solution?
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, accounting for half of the world's 40 million blind. The majority of the world's 20 million cataract blind live in the developing world. About 5 million new cases of cataract blindness occur each year. ⋯ Extra capsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with placement of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) is the hope for preferred method of treatment. This paper discusses a largely overlooked method of cataract surgery which may be an additional, cost-effective and efficacious means of providing good sight rehabilitation. Combining intracapsular cataract extraction, currently the most common method used in the rural developing world, with anterior chamber intraocular lens implantation (ICCE AC-IOL), may prove effective in reducing the cataract backlog in developing countries.