Purpose: To study the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the ophthalmologists in India regarding cataract extraction practices. Methods: A prospective, online, descriptive study was conducted from January 2022 to April 2022 using a self-developed validated questionnaire attached which was administered through a generated link. Results: The mean age of these 153 respondents was 47.02 (SD = 11.53) years with a male preponderance (70.59%). The majority (52.9%) had completed a fellowship after their post-graduation, and 56.20% provided sub-specialty services. Comprehensive ophthalmology (69.93%) and anterior segment (50.32%) practice were the most popular. Although 76.47% of respondents used a mix of techniques, 11.11% surgeons used only phaco-emulsification and 9.8% used only manual small-incision cataract surgery (MSICS) as the lone cataract treatment modality. Roughly 38% felt that outcomes were comparable for phaco-emulsification and MSICS, whereas about 44% opined that the outcomes of phaco-emulsification were better. MSICS outcomes were reported to be better by approximately 15%. The frown incision (53.59%), the straight incision (19.60%), and the straight incision with back cuts (10.45%) were popular. The majority (71.24%) of the respondents were willing to train fellow ophthalmologists and youngsters in MSICS. Standalone practices and family practices (42.48%), private eye institutes (10.45%), medical colleges (12.41%), and government non-teaching hospitals (11.11%) were the major service providers. 4% were working in rural hinterland. Conclusion: The majority of the surgeons use a mix of cataract extraction operative techniques. A large, willing talent pool of manual small-incision cataract surgeons exists. India can be a global hub for MSICS delivery and training.

Cataract extraction is one of the most common surgical procedures performed worldwide. Manual small-incision cataract surgery (MSICS) is a popular technique of cataract extraction. Full economic evaluation of different techniques is of value to policy makers. This was a systematic review of published literature to present a brief overview of evidence available in respect of economic evaluation measures like cost effectiveness, cost utility, and cost parameters in cataract patients regarding MSICS. The data on these was sparse and heterogeneous. Direct costs of MSICS were lower than phacoemulsification (PE): $25.55 (PE) to $17.03 (MSICS) in India, $15 (MSICS) to $70 (PE) in Nepal, and $62.25 (MSICS) to $104.15 (PE) in Thailand. The cost utility analysis for MSICS demonstrated savings of $79.57 (INR6175) per gain in LogMAR BCVA, $8.91 (INR691) per QALY gained and $1.42 (INR110) per VF 14 score increment in India. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) $368.20 (13,215.50 Baht) for MSICS was better than $489.30 (17,561.70 Baht) for PE in Thailand. ICER for femto laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) compared to was €10,703 in femtosecond laser-assisted versus phacoemulsification cataract surgery (FEMCAT) study. The corrected ICER for PE against MSICS is €146.50. The limited data available demonstrates that MSICS is the most cost-effective technique among FLACS, PE, and MSICS. MSICS scores over other existing alternatives of cataract extraction from cost-effectiveness and cost-minimization approaches. Further research is required in this area.