Impact of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, in management of childhood cataract, at a tertiary eye care center of Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Cataracts in children are rare, accounting 7.4-15.3% of pediatric blindness. Pediatric cataract is a treatable leading cause of childhood blindness. Rashtriya bal swasthya karyakram (RBSK) is an important initiative aiming at early identification and early intervention for children from birth to 18 years. The objective of our study was to know the impact of RBSK, in management of childhood cataract, at a tertiary eye care center.Methods: This was a hospital based retrospective study, done from December 2018 to December 2019. This study included all patients of congenital and developmental cataract during this study period. The patients aged less than or equal to 18 years were included. All statistical analyses were done at 5% (p<0.05) significance using Graph Pad instat version 3.0 and Microsoft excel 2019.Results: During a study period of thirteen months, 357 eyes of 210 patients with congenital or development cataract were included. There were 142 (67.61%) male patients and 68 (32.38%) were female. The maximum number of patients were seen in the age group of 4-6 years 52 (24.7%), followed by the age group of 7-9 years 48 (22.8%). Bilateral cataracts were seen in 148 (70.4%) patients and unilateral cataract in 61 (29.0%) patients. The most common type of cataract was lamellar cataract seen in 150 (42%) eyes.Conclusions: RBSK is changing the lives of children and their families by reducing the burden of childhood blindness due to cataract and improving the quality of the life, especially in financially underprivileged families.