BACKGROUND: Effective Cataract Surgical Coverage (eCSC) is one of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) indicators recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is calculated from a population survey and measures access and quality of eye care services in the community. We conducted simultaneous population-based eye surveys in two regions in Malaysia in 2023 to estimate eCSC and compare the results with the survey in 2014 following the implementation of a mobile cataract program.
METHODS: The surveys were simultaneously done in Eastern and Sarawak administrative regions using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) technique. It involved a multistage cluster sampling method, each cluster comprising 50 residents aged 50 years and older. Presenting visual acuity (PVA) was checked, and subjects with cataracts were identified. The corrected VA (Pinhole) of those who had undergone cataract surgery was measured. eCSC was calculated at all levels of cataract surgical thresholds according to the protocol. The findings were compared with the previous survey.
RESULTS: A total of 10,184 subjects were enumerated, with 9,709 examined and 475 non-respondents. Females had a significantly lower Cataract Surgical Coverage (CSC) than males for cataract surgical threshold of
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