Cataract surgical rate in Fars Province: Distribution and trend from 2006 to 2010

PURPOSE: To determine changes in cataract surgical rate (CSR) in Fars Province from 2006 to 2010 and identify the contributions of public and private sectors. METHODS: This descriptive report is part of the Iranian Cataract Surgery Survey. To determine the provincial CSR, weights of major (>3000 annual surgeries) and minor (≤3000) centers were calculated based on the number of centers chosen for each year and multiplied by their numbers of surgeries. To determine public and private sectors' contributions, the numbers of surgeries in each sector were estimated based on the number of sampled centers. RESULTS: Overall, CSR improved by 25%; the number of CS decreased by 16% in the public sector and increased by 157% in the private sector. In 2006, the public sector contributed to 69% of the CSR, and by 2010, this rate had decreased to 43%. CONCLUSION: The decreasing contribution of the public sector calls for studies to identify causes and remove potential barriers.