Abstract
Introduction
Cataracts remain one of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness globally, especially among aging populations in low- and middle-income countries, including Cambodia. In the past, most available data focused on urban healthcare centers, leaving a gap in understanding how cataract cases are diagnosed, treated, and managed in rural areas where access to specialized eye care is often limited. Understanding its prevalence, associated risk factors, and treatment utilization is crucial for informing and designing proper clinical management, planning, and public health strategies. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of cataracts and the rate of treatment uptake as well as to examine associated demographic and clinical factors among patients attending the ophthalmology department at Prey Veng Provincial Referral Hospital.
Methods
A study was conducted using secondary data from 1,046 patients who visited the ophthalmology department of Prey Veng Provincial Referral Hospital in 2024. Data were extracted from structured patient records, which were stored in a high-security database system. Only authorized personnel can access it. We analyzed the data in Stata 15 via both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The frequency distributions and percentages of categorical variables, such as sex, age group, and cataract management, are reported. To identify factors associated with cataracts, bivariate analyses were conducted with the chi-square test.
Results
The overall mean age was 55.0 years (SD = 15.0). High proportions of patients were older, particularly those aged 51–60 years (30.3%) and those aged over 60 years (39.3%). Females accounted for 61.7% of the patients. Among the 1,046 patients, 11.8% (123/1046) were diagnosed with cataracts. A strong association was observed between cataracts and increasing age, with 19.5% of cataract cases occurring in patients over 60 years old and 10.7% occurring in patients aged 51–60 years (p value < 0.001). Male patients accounted for 14.2% of the cataract cases, whereas the prevalence of cataracts was 10.2% in female patients (p value = 0.052). Only 28.5% (35/123) of the diagnosed individuals received cataract surgery.
Conclusion
Although the prevalence of cataracts in patients seeking services in the ophthalmology department at the provincial RH of Prey Veng is relatively low compared with that reported in similar studies in the region, the burden increases markedly with age, especially among men. The limited use of cataract surgery underscores the need to address barriers to care through enhanced public awareness, community-based screening initiatives, and expanded access to surgical services.