Hannah Kuper|Sarah Polack|Wanjiku Mathenge|Cristina Eusebio|Zakia Wadud|Mamunur Akm Rashid|Allen Foster
Does Cataract Surgery Alleviate Poverty? Evidence from a Multi-Centre Intervention Study Conducted in Kenya, the Philippines and Bangladesh
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine|London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine|London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine|Cataract Foundation of the Philippines|Child Health Research Foundation|Khulna Medical College|London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
background poverty blindness believed intimately linked empirical data supporting purported relationship sparse objective study assess whether reduction poverty cataract surgery among visually impaired cases methodologyprincipal findings multicentre intervention study conducted three countries kenya philippines bangladesh poverty data household per capita expenditure pce asset ownership selfrated wealth collected cases aged 50 years visually impaired due cataract visual acuity624 better eye agesex matched controls normal vision cases offered freesubsidised cataract surgery approximately one year later participants reinterviewed poverty 466 cases 436 controls examined baseline followup follow rate 78 cases 81 controls 263 cases undergone cataract surgery operated cases baseline operated cases poorer compared controls terms pce kenya 22 versus 35 p 002 bangladesh 16 vs 24 p 0004 philippines 24 vs 32 p 00007 assets selfrated wealth followup pce increased significantly among operated cases three settings level controls kenya 30 versus 36 p 049 bangladesh 23 vs 23 p 020 philippines 45 vs 36 p 068 smaller increases selfrated wealth changes assets changes pce apparent different sociodemographic ocular groups largest pce increases apparent among cases poorest baseline conclusionssignificance study showed cataract surgery contribute poverty alleviation particularly among vulnerable members society study highlights need increased provision cataract surgery poor people shows focus blindness may help alleviate poverty achieve millennium development goals