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Purpose: Primary eye care services delivered through vision centres (VC) form an essential part of the national blindness control efforts, but systematic data on the outputs and cost of providing such services in India are not readily available for further planning and efficient use of resources. Methods: Detailed cost and output data were collected from written records for 2017–2018 fiscal year using standardized methods at nine VC in Kolkata city in West Bengal, India. The total economic cost for these VC was computed and the relation of unit cost of services per patient screened with VC scale was assessed using regression analysis. Break-even point was estimated from average and marginal cost functions. Results: 25,009 patients were screened at the 9 VC (range 709–5,717; median 2,826). The overall total economic cost was INR 7,304,172 (USD 113,306), ranging from INR. 509,618 (USD. 7,905) to INR. 1,390,855 (USD. 21,576). Personnel salaries made up 37.8% of the total cost. The unit economic cost of screening a patient was INR 292.1 (USD 4.4) and varied threefold between 9 VC. With a multiple regression model (p <.035, R2 = 0.797), apart from the fixed costs, the incremental cost for each patient screened was INR 81.33 (USD 1.26). Break-even analysis suggested that 44.4% of the VCs were functioning below optimal scale. Conclusion: A further reduction in the unit costs is possible if the optimal scale of services is achieved. These findings can inform resource requirement for the primary eye care services in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this research was to conduct a systematic review and cost analysis to summarize, from the Ministry of Health perspective, the costs families might incur because of their child's prescription for refractive errors and amblyopia correction. Methods: Databases including MEDLINE, Embase, BIOSIS, CINAHL, HEED, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library as well as the gray literature were searched. Systematic review was conducted using EPPI-Reviewer 4. Percentage difference in cost of glasses and patches per patient per various diagnoses were computed. The cost of glasses and patches was projected over a 5-year time horizon. Cost-utility analysis was performed. Results: In total, 302 records were retrieved from multiple databases and an additional 48 records were identified through gray literature search. From these, a total of 14 studies (10,388 subjects) were eligible for quantitative analysis. The cost of glasses increased significantly for congenital cataract patients to US$1,820, esotropia patients to US$840, myopes to US$411, amblyopes (mixed) to US$916, anisometropes to US$521, and patients with strabismus to US$728 over a 5-year period making them unaffordable for low-income families. Incremental cost of glasses of congenital cataract patients with delayed treatment was computed to be US$1,690 per health utility gained. Incremental cost of glasses for high refractive error was US$93 per health utility gained in non-compliant children. For amblyopia patients, incremental cost of glasses per quality-adjusted life years gained was US$3,638. Conclusion: Cost of corrective lenses is associated with significant financial burden and thus other means of mitigating costs should be considered. Eyesight problems in children are perceived as low-priority health needs. Thus, educational interventions on substantial visual deficits of not wearing glasses should be offered to families and governmental health agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft contact lens discontinuations have a dramatic impact on the overall success of this form of vision correction, and evidence suggests that the reasons for contact lens cessation are different for new wearers than for established lens users. In descending order, these relate to vision, discomfort, handling, inconvenience/loss of interest, ocular health and cost. This paper considers the background and underlying evidence for these causes of soft lens discontinuation in new wearers, and presents clinical management strategies to minimise this phenomenon. Such measures can reasonably be expected to significantly reduce the number of contact lens discontinuations leading to happier patients, increased satisfaction for eye care professionals (ECPs), and greater success for both individual practices and the contact lens industry more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the factors that delay surgical intervention in patients suffering from age related mature cataract in Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: A short term descriptive study was performed that evaluated patients with mature cataract presenting to outreach eye care clinics in rural central Ethiopia. Patients were interviewed to determine the reasons for delay in their cataract surgeries. Result: A total of 146 subjects (57 male and 89 females) with operable age related cataract were evaluated at 31 outreach clinics. Over 86% of the respondents were above 55 years of age, (range, 45-78 years). The male to female ratio was 1:1.5 and 30.2% of the subjects were blind bilaterally (best corrected visual acuity <3/60). The majority of the respondents were farmers (53.4%) and 86.3% were illiterate. The major factors that delayed cataract surgery included: Cost of surgery (91.8%), insufficient family income (78.1%), good vision in the fellow (unaffected) eye (39.7%), and the distance to hospital from their village (47.9%). Conclusion: Surgical cost, insufficient family income, and the distance to an eye care centre were the major factors delaying cataract surgery in rural Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With multifocal intraocular lenses, the majority of the patients do not wear glasses after cataract surgery which is a potential source of savings. Purpose: To collect data in four European countries on the associated costs for society of wearing spectacles after cataract surgery and the patient willingness to pay to be free of spectacles. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of centers that recruited patients who wore refractive spectacles after cataract surgery. Costs were expressed in 2006 Euros Results: 408 patients were recruited by 22 centers. Patients with a mean age of 68.5 years underwent cataract surgery about 3 years prior to recruitment. In all countries, prescribed lenses were mainly mono-focal and the mean cost of spectacles was EUR366.3. Half the patient population with private health insurance was reimbursed for spectacles at a level of 50%, except Spanish patients who were reimbursed at only 5.3%. However, a large part of the cost was directly paid by the patients. Out of a total mean cost of EUR354.9, patients paid EUR285.2 and health insurances only EUR69.7. More than half the patients were willing to pay at least 0.5EUR/day to be free of spectacles. Conclusion: Large differences were found among the 4 countries. Almost half of all subjects had private health insurance. The total cost of refraction includes a variety of resources not limited to spectacles. A large part of the cost was borne by patients and there is a high patient willingness to pay to be free of spectacles in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of blindness and visual impairment are high in Ethiopia and use of services is limited. Determining the barriers to use of eye care services is critical for planning strategies to prevent blindness.Methods: A population-based survey of the magnitude and causes of blindness and visual impairment in adults 40 years and older in the Gurage Zone, central Ethiopia was conducted. Among those individuals who had binocular or monocular vision <6/18, an interview to assess use of eye care services and reasons for a failure to use such services was undertaken.Results: Of 850 adults with visual impairment or blindness, 802 were interviewed. Cataract surgery accounted for the primary service currently needed by the blind, followed by trichiasis surgery; service needs were higher for women than for men. Use of services (27.8% of sample) was associated with being male, binocular vision loss, and blindness. The primary reason for a failure to use eye care services were indirect costs (overall, reported by 40% of respondents) associated with accessing the service. There were significant differences between men and women in the reasons for not using the services and between cataract and trichiasis cases but not when comparing binocular vs. monocular conditions, or patients with visual impairment vs. blindness.Conclusion: The majority of the causes of visual impairment and blindness are treatable (cataract) or preventable (trachomatous trichiasis). The main barrier for seeking service is related to the indirect medical costs of the service. This suggests that efforts are needed to create mechanisms that 'bridge' communities and eye care facilities. A holistic approach that deals both with the organization of services and the sociocultural factors in communities that affect use is needed. The organization of trichiasis surgery at peripheral health centres and screening programmes which identify and facilitate transport to hospital for cataract patients is one approach. The indirect burden of accessing eye care on the family may be lessened by encouraging patients to have surgery earlier (before they require assistance to reach the hospital), and by improving the efficiency of existing services. Promotion of services must be gender-sensitive, ensuring that specific characteristics of the sociocultural roles of women be considered in order to improve uptake among women. Training and placement of cataract surgeons in rural hospitals would also enhance provision of eye care for the rural population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a letter written by educator Charles S. Foos. In his letter, Foos raises his concern about the purchase of eyeglasses for needy pupils. It is informed that the cost of eysglasses are very nominal.