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RAWALPINDI, Dec 01 (APP):Pakistan is facing a steep rise in cataract-related blindness despite expanded treatment facilities, driven by an escalating diabetes crisis, an ageing population, malnutrition, excessive ultraviolet exposure and delayed diagnosis, a senior ophthalmologist said on Monday.
Prof. Dr Sabihuddin Ahmed, Head of the Cataract Department at Al-Shifa Trust (AST) Eye Hospital, said the growing pressures are outstripping the country’s ability to deliver timely interventions, especially in districts with limited specialist coverage.
He said closing the treatment gap would require decentralised eye-care services, compulsory screening for diabetic patients and the integration of basic ophthalmic checks into primary healthcare.
Talking to reporters, he said doctors across the Al-Shifa network now conduct around 8,500 free cataract surgeries each month at six hospitals. Still, the pace remains inadequate as diabetes-linked cataracts rise sharply.
Pakistan currently has the highest diabetes prevalence in the world, with 34.5 million adults affected, a figure forecast to hit 70.2 million by 2050. Provincial prevalence stands at 16 per cent in Punjab, 15 per cent in Balochistan, 14 per cent in Sindh and 11 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. An estimated 230,000 people die annually from diabetes-related complications, he added.
Prof Ahmed said the national cataract surgical rate has more than doubled since 2002, yet millions await treatment.
“About 570,000 adults in Pakistan are blind due to cataracts, and 3.56 million have visual impairment,” he said. “Meeting projected demand by 2030 will require at least 1.84 million surgeries a year.”
He warned that economic losses are mounting as untreated cataracts diminish labour-force participation, cut household productivity and increase dependency among older earners.
Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates productivity losses from vision impairment at US$411 billion. In Pakistan, the private sector performs 42.4 per cent of cataract operations, NGOs 39.9 per cent, and the public sector 17.7 per cent, leaving most of the burden on non-state providers.
Pakistan has only 15 ophthalmologists per million people, well below ratios in developed countries. Women are disproportionately affected, he said, due to mobility barriers, limited financial means and delayed access to care, resulting in higher rates of untreated cataracts.
Prof Ahmed said high private-sector fees, outdated equipment in public hospitals and long waiting lists continue to restrict access. He urged provincial health departments to institutionalise routine diabetes screening, integrate eye care into basic health units, and expand specialist training to prevent avoidable blindness.