Cataracts are the leading cause of
blindness worldwide, accounting for half of the world's 40 million blind. The majority of the world's 20 million
cataract blind live in the developing world. About 5 million new cases of
cataract blindness occur each year. Only a small percentage of persons in the Third World who develop
cataracts receive
cataract surgery.
Cataract blindness causes severe economic and social problems in these countries. Because of increased longevity and population growth in the Third World, the number of untreated
cataract cases is escalating rapidly. Governmental, non-governmental and service club organizations have put extraordinary effort and resources into reversing the trend of increasing
cataract blindness, but much work still needs to be done. Current surgical methods used in the Third World have not yet succeeded in reducing the backlog of
cataracts, due in part to either their prohibitive cost or poor results. Extra capsular
cataract extraction (ECCE) with placement of a posterior chamber
intraocular lens (PC-IOL) is the hope for preferred method of treatment. This paper discusses a largely overlooked method of
cataract surgery which may be an additional, cost-effective and efficacious means of providing good sight rehabilitation. Combining intracapsular
cataract extraction, currently the most common method used in the rural developing world, with anterior chamber
intraocular lens implantation (ICCE AC-IOL), may prove effective in reducing the
cataract backlog in developing countries.