Prevalence of Hepatitis ‘B’ and Hepatitis ‘C’ among preoperative cataract patients in Karachi

BACKGROUND: To report the findings of preoperative screening regarding prevalence of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in patients presenting for cataract surgery. FINDINGS: A descriptive study was conducted among 377 patients presenting for cataract surgery to Department of Ophthalmology Unit I, CHK from April 2010 to May 2011. Convenience sampling was done to recruit the participants aged 18 years and above. The patients were screened for Hepatitis B and C infections and findings were recorded on a structured compilation sheet. The total prevalence of both Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in preoperative Cataract patients was found to be 49 out of 377(12.99%). Overall, 8 out of 377 (2.1%) patients were HBsAg positive and 42 out of 377 (11.1%) were Anti-HCV positive. Only 1 patient was found with a co-infection with both HBsAg and Anti-HCV positive. CONCLUSIONS: High proportions of Hepatitis B and C are reported among preoperative cataract patients of Karachi. Routine serological screening prior to surgery should be made mandatory so that asymptomatic patients would no longer pose a threat to its spread.