PURPOSE: To identify the barriers in the access to treatment of senile cataract and to evaluate the patient's costs in this process. METHODS: A survey of 101 patients who would undergo cataract surgery at Altino Ventura Foundation was performed using a questionnaire. The economical and social aspects of the whole process of treatment were evaluated. RESULTS: The principal barriers of cataract treatment were: fear of surgery, patient's low income, the need for preoperative examinations and the number of times the patient had to return to the service (3.2±1.5), as well as the waiting time between the first examination and the surgery (3.2±2.6 months - Mean ±SEM). The examination costs varied from 5 to 170 reais (16.6±2.7 - Mean ±SEM). DISCUSSION: The main reasons for not seeking for cataract treatment, as the fear to undergo surgery and the lack of financial resources had been similar to other Brazilian institutions. The number of times that the patient had to return to the service increased the expenses of the patient and the difficulties faced by him. Altino Ventura Foundation mainly takes care of the poorest population of the State, therefore, the expenses of the patients with transportation and examinations become obstacles to the treatment of cataract. CONCLUSIONS: The fear of surgery and the patient's low income and the social level of the institution's users were the principal barriers in the access to cataract treatment in this study. The need for preoperative examinations, sometimes unnecessary, contributes to a lower efficiency of the medical services offered to individuals of low income and social conditions. The surgery carried out at the same day of the cataract diagnosis makes the solution of the illness quickly possible, diminishing the number of times necessary for the patient's return to health service from three or more, to only one.
Cataract extraction; Cataract extraction; Blindness; Health services accessibility; Quality of health care
