FREQUENCY OF HEPATITIS-B AND C IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CATARACT SURGERY IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, DERA GHAZI KHAN

Objective: To determine the frequency of hepatitis B and C in patients undergoing elective cataract surgery. Study design: A descriptive study. Place of study: Ophthalmology Department, Teaching Hospital Dera Ghazi Khan. Duration of study: From 1st February 2017 to 30th September 2017. Methodology: All patients admitted for elective cataract surgery were included in the study. Screening was done for hepatitis B and C and findings were recorded. Hepatitis positive cases were identified and demographic data was collected on structured compilation sheets and analysis done. Results: A total of 889 patients were included in study. Overall, 52(5.85%) cases were positive for viral hepatitis B and C infection. 18(2.03%) were positive for hepatitis B and 34(3.82%) were positive for hepatitis C. 24 out of 52 cases (46.15%) were from rural areas and 28 out of 52 cases (53.85%) were from urban population. Conclusion: A significant number of hepatitis B and C positive cases were seen in patients admitted for elective cataract surgery. It is highly recommended that screening of preoperative cases of cataract surgery should be done so that even asymptomatic patients should pose no more threat to the spread of the disease.