AIM: To comprehensively investigate the current status of cataract surgery in Leshan city, and find the existing problems according to the survey results as a guide to cataract prevention and treatment in future.

METHODS: We surveyed the status of cataract surgery containing equipments, surgeons and surgery conditions in 17 ophthalmology departments of general hospitals from Leshan including 6 counties, 1 county-level city and 4 districts during 2012. Cataract surgery methods, according to various surgery financial resources, surgical performances and surgical incision, were divided into phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation(Phaco+IOL), extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation(ECCE+IOL), and each method contained 2 groups. We analyzed the outcomes following preoperative examination, surgeons, surgical methods, surgical equipments, types of IOL, surgical quantity, surgical results, and intraoperative complication.

RESULTS: In whole city there were 16 operating microscopes, 43 slit lamp microscopes, 12 non-contact tonometers, 1 intraocular lens Master, 8 optical A/B type ultrasonic examination systems, 4 YAG lasers and 12 phacoemulsification instruments. There 15 doctors could complete cataract surgery independently, and 5 of them were phacoemulsification surgeons. The total number of completed cataract surgeries reached 6 211 eyes, containing 3 564 eyes for Phaco+IOL(57%)(preoperative visual acuity ≥0.3 in Phaco+IOL1 were 1 520 eyes, 24%)and 2 647 eyes for ECCE+IOL(43%)(1 533 eyes in ECCE+IOL1, 25%). In various groups, off-blindness rate was 94.80%-100%, off-disability rate was 90.41%-100%, and 94.96%-100% received intraocular lens implantation, intraoperative complication rate was 1.00%-15.10%.

CONCLUSION: The distribution of surgeons and equipments in the whole city is unbalanced, and the utilization rate of phaco equipment is low. The levels are different in various hospitals on surgical technique, surgical quantity and surgical results. Phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation is considered as the main therapy for cataract, and as a transition to dioptric and personalized cataract surgery. The surgical condition of the city is good, but the proportion of cataract surgery for prevention of blindness in Leshan city is low, and the surgical technique remains to be further improved.