Eliminating the barriers to cataract surgical access amongst resource-poor communities - a proposed randomised controlled trial

Abstract

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) of providing universal health coverage for all and ending poverty by 2030 aim to make healthcare accessible and available for all, irrespective of status, gender or race. Unfortunately, access to universal healthcare is still hampered by preventable inequalities, especially amongst the Low-Middle income countries (LMICs). Cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness globally, affecting over 17 million people; 80% of these people reside in the LMICs and cost-effective cataract surgery is the only way to treat it. However, barriers exist that prevent access to cataract surgery amongst these people. Despite widespread reports of these barriers to cataract surgical access, the complex relationships between the barriers and cataract surgical access have yet to be fully explored by researchers or policy-makers. A randomised control trial involving three groups is proposed and presented in this paper to test the relationship between well-known barriers to cataract surgical access in resource-poor communities and programmes designed to overcome them.