The study of demographic profile of patients of senile mature cataract attending the eye OPD of GMC Jammu, India

Abstract

Background: Age related cataract also called as senile cataract is the commonest type of acquired cataract affecting people over the age of 50 years. In developing countries like India, many times patients with cataract report to the hospitals very late, when it has become mature. Keeping this in mind this study was undertaken to study the demographic profile of patients of senile mature cataract attending the OPD of GMC Jammu and to see if there is correlation between demographic factors and time of seeking medical attention.Methods: This study was conducted on 41 patients of senile mature cataract who attended OPD of GMC Jammu from August 2019 to November 2019. All patients were subjected to detailed history taking and ocular examination. Socio-economic status and education level of all patients was assessed. All patients were admitted and underwent cataract surgery with IOL implantation.Results: In study the mean age of patients was 62.46 years with 58.53% patients being females. Majority of patients were from rural background with low socio-economic status and low education levels.Conclusions: From this study we concluded that female sex, low socio-economic status, comorbidities and lower literacy levels are associated with patients seeking medical attention for cataract at an advanced stage.

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International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | March 2020 | Vol 8 | Issue 3 Page 833
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
Raina B et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2020 Mar;8(3):833-835
www.msjonline.org
pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012
Original Research Article
The study of demographic profile of patients of senile mature cataract
attending the eye OPD of GMC Jammu, India
Bhavani Raina, Pallavi Sharma*
INTRODUCTION
Cataract is clouding of lens which prevents clear vision.
Cataract accounts for 39% of the worldwide blindness.1
Due to population growth and increased longevity there is
rise in the number of cataract patients in the world.2 In
India cataract is the principal cause of blindness
accounting for 62.6% cases.3 Age related cataract also
called as senile cataract is the commonest type of cataract
affecting people over the age of 50 years.
Morphologically senile cataracts may be cortical or
nuclear. Age, sex, hereditary, UV radiations, dietary
factors, etc are the risk factors responsible for maturation
of senile cataract from the stage of immaturity to
maturity. When lens becomes completely opaque, it
becomes a senile mature cataract with a pearly white
colour. Cataract extraction with intraocular lens
implantation is the only surgical approach for cataract.4 In
developed world people seek medical aid for cataract at a
very early stage. In developing countries like India, many
times patients with cataract report to the hospitals very
late especially those from rural background either due to
lack of facilities or lack of awareness. In view of these
facts this study was undertaken to study the demographic
profile of patients of senile mature cataract attending the
OPD of GMC Jammu.
Aims
• To study age, gender, socio-economic status and
education level of patients of senile mature cataract
attending the OPD of GMC Jammu.
Department of Ophthalmology, GMC Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Received: 13 January 2020
Accepted: 18 January 2020
*Correspondence:
Dr. Pallavi Sharma,
E-mail: pallavicfs@gmail.com
Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT
Background: Age related cataract also called as senile cataract is the commonest type of acquired cataract affecting
people over the age of 50 years. In developing countries like India, many times patients with cataract report to the
hospitals very late, when it has become mature. Keeping this in mind this study was undertaken to study the
demographic profile of patients of senile mature cataract attending the OPD of GMC Jammu and to see if there is
correlation between demographic factors and time of seeking medical attention.
Methods: This study was conducted on 41 patients of senile mature cataract who attended OPD of GMC Jammu from
August 2019 to November 2019. All patients were subjected to detailed history taking and ocular examination. Socio-
economic status and education level of all patients was assessed. All patients were admitted and underwent cataract
surgery with IOL implantation.
Results: In study the mean age of patients was 62.46 years with 58.53% patients being females. Majority of patients
were from rural background with low socio-economic status and low education levels.
Conclusions: From this study we concluded that female sex, low socio-economic status, comorbidities and lower
literacy levels are associated with patients seeking medical attention for cataract at an advanced stage.
Keywords: Cataract surgery, Demographic profile, Senile mature cataract
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20200481

Raina B et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2020 Mar;8(3):833-835
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | March 2020 | Vol 8 | Issue 3 Page 834
• To see if there is correlation between demographic
factors and time when patients of cataract seek
medical attention.
METHODS
This was a prospective hospital based observational
study. The study included 41 patients of senile mature
cataract who attended the OPD of GMC Jammu from
August 2019 to November 2019. After taking a written
and informed consent from the patient, all patients were
subjected to detailed history taking and ocular
examination which included VA assessment, slit lamp
examination and IOP measurement. As fundus
examination was not possible due to total lenticular
opacity, usg b-scan was done for gross assessment of
posterior segment. Socio-economic status was determined
using Udai Pareek Revised Scale (rural patients) and
Kuppuswamy scale (urban patients).5,6 Education level of
patients was assessed and they were divided into 3 groups
namely no formal schooling, under matriculate and
matriculate and above. All the patients were admitted and
underwent cataract surgery with IOL implantation in
GMC Jammu. The data was entered in Microsoft excel
and subsequently analysed with mean and percentage.
Inclusion criteria
• Age 50 years or more
• Patients of senile mature cataract
Exclusion criteria
• Age less than 50 years
• Patients with immature cataract
• Patients of ch. glaucoma or those with posterior
segment pathologies like retinal detachment
RESULTS
In study the mean age of the patients was 62.4 years.
41.40% patients belonged to the age group of 50 - 60
years followed by 61 - 70 year age group (39.02%). Only
4.87% patients were more than 80 years of age (Table 1).
Table 1: Age group of patients.
Age (years)
No. of patients
(N=41)
Percentage (%)
50-60
17
41.40
61-70
16
39.02
71-80
6
14.63
>80
2
4.87
Table 2: Residence of patients.
Area
No. of patients (N=41)
Percentage(%)
Rural
32
78.04
Urban
9
21.95
The male to female ratio was 1:1.4 with 58.53% of the
patients being females (Figure 1). 78.04% were from
rural background. Out of 41 patients only 9 (21.95%)
patients resided in urban areas (Table 2). 41.4% patients
had no formal schooling. 34.1% were under matriculate
and only 23.9% had studied till or beyond matriculation
(Table 3). In the rural population most patients (49.37%)
fell in lower middle class and lower class category.5
55.55% patients living in urban areas fell in lower
category.6 Thus, in both rural and urban areas, it was the
patients belonging to lower socio-economic group that
sought treatment for the cataract at a very late stage.
Table 3: Education level of patients.
Education
No. of patients
(n=41)
Percentage
(%)
No formal
schooling
17
41.4
Under matriculate
14
34.1
Matriculate and
above
10
23.9
Figure 1: Gender distribution of patients.
DISCUSSION
In study the maximum prevalence of senile mature
cataract was seen in the age group of 50 - 60 years. This
was closely followed by the age group of 61 - 70 years.
This is similar to the observation made by Shori et al in
their study where 37% of the patients fell in 50 - 60 year
age group.4 The prevalence of mature cataract was low in
males as compared to females. Nirmalan PK et al also
reported lower number of cataract in males.7 However,
Seah SK et al observed that prevalence was similar for
males and females.8 Increased incidence of senile mature
cataract in females can be attributed to multiple factors
like lower nutritional status, confinement to household
chores which mostly requires near vision and cultural
insensitivity to a female’s health needs. Attitudinal
barriers like “could manage daily work”, “fear of
surgery” and “no one to accompany” are also more
commonly seen with females.9 In present study it was
observed that a low socio-economic status and low
education levels were also associated with patients
reporting to the hospital at an advanced stage of cataract.
17
24
No. of patients
males
females

Raina B et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2020 Mar;8(3):833-835
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | March 2020 | Vol 8 | Issue 3 Page 835
This is similar to the observations made by Krishnaiah S
et al in their study.10 As 78.04% of the patients belonged
to the rural areas, it can be said that there is lack of
awareness regarding surgical treatment of cataract in far
flung areas. Health care facilities need a lot of
improvement in remote areas. Low education levels also
contribute to increased prevalence of senile mature
cataract. This correlates with findings of Avachat SS et
al.3
In present study there were two patients who were fully
aware of their visual status and need to get their cataract
operated but couldn’t get operated at earlier stage as they
were diabetic with poor glycemic control with frequent
hospitalizations. This suggests that debilitating
comorbidities also play a role in patients not getting their
cataracts operated timely as they are engrossed with more
life threatening issues.
CONCLUSION
With this study, it was concluded that female sex, low
socio-economic status, low education levels and
associated comorbidities play an important role in
patients seeking treatment for cataract surgery at an
advanced stage. Lack of facilities in rural areas along
with low awareness levels is also a contributing factor.
Funding: No funding sources
Conflict of interest: None declared
Ethical approval: The study was approved by the
Institutional Ethics Committee
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Cite this article as: Raina B, Sharma P. To study the
demographic profile of patients of senile mature
cataract attending the eye OPD of GMC Jammu,
India. Int J Res Med Sci 2020;8:833-5.