Guangdong Uptake of Surgery Trial

China is home to the 18% of the world's blind people, an estimated 6.6 million. In China, cataract is the leading cause of blindness. In Guangdong, current counseling measures for patients diagnosed with cataract are minimal and often lack adequate descriptions of what cataract is, what causes cataract, and benefits/risks of surgery. A counseling session for cataract patients and family members, conducted by a trained nurse during outreach screening, may increase subsequent attendance at pre-operative examination, acceptance of cataract surgery, and attendance at follow-up examinations. An integral part of this counseling is a short movie consisting of testimony from a former cataract patient who underwent surgery ("pseudophakic motivator"). The use of pseudophakic motivators have been shown to be effective in increasing surgical uptake. In addition, a previously validated "Barriers Questionnaire" will be used to assess predictors of of hospital attendance, surgery acceptance, and follow-up attendance in the categories of cost, transportation, knowledge, and concerns about quality.

Inclusion criteria

• thought by the examiner to have age-related or myopic cataract in one or both eyes
• pinhole-corrected visual acuity less than or equal to 6/18.

Exclusion criteria

• traumatic cataract
• inability to give informed consent due to dementia or other reasons.