The role of Western ophthalmologists in dealing with cataract blindness in developing countries

Of the estimated 35-40 million blindness worldwide, 17 million is caused by cataract and this proportion will double by year 2025. In Africa alone, it is estimated that there are about 3 million cataract blind. As life expectancy in Africa increases so will the incidence of cataract blindness. Existing resources of manpower and services cannot cope adequately with the present backlog of cataracts, let alone the anticipated increased load. The deployment of local ophthalmologists to deal with cataract load would be cost-effective in delivering appropriate eye care but the scarcity of ophthalmologists makes the option ineffective. The role of Western ophthalmologists will be considered in the provision of cataract surgical services and training of ophthalmic assistants, cataract surgeons and ophthalmologists.