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Background: Considering population aging in Iran and the importance of cataract surgery in the old age, this study was performed to show the cataract surgical rate (CSR) between 2006 and 2010 in Tehran Province. Methods: Eighteen centers were randomly selected from cataract surgery centers in Tehran. In each center, one week in every season was randomly selected and the number of cataract surgeries in the week was calculated. In total, 20 weeks were selected in each center in five years. Results: The CSR increased linearly from 8011 cases per 1,000,000 population in 2006 to 12465 cases per 1,000,000 population in 2010. As for patients below 40 years of age, the percentage of the male patients was more while after the age of 40 years, the percentage of the female patients was more in all age groups. At least 96.2% of the surgeries in each year were performed using the phacoemulsification method. From 2006 to 2010, the percentage of outpatient surgery increased from 48.7% to 72.5%. On the other hand, hospitalization for one night or more had a decreasing trend from 2006 to 2010. Conclusion: During 2006-2010, the CSR was acceptable in Tehran in comparison with other studies. However, attention should be paid to the increase in the population of the elderly people. Although more than 95% of the surgeries in the Province of Tehran are performed using the phacoemulsification method, the rate should increase to 100% in the eligible cases.

The aim of this study was to determine the trend of changes in Cataract Surgical Rate (CSR) in the provinces of Iran during 2006 to 2010 and identify high risk areas.This report is part of the national Iranian CSR Study. The percentage change in CSR in 2010 compared to 2006 was conducted in each province, retrospectively. One hundred and ten centers were chosen from all provinces, to determine CSR in each, the weight of major (>3,000 annual surgeries) and minor (3,000 annual surgeries or less) centers was calculated based on the number of selected centers, and multiplied by the number of surgeries in each province.In eight provinces, CSR was decreased by 1-60%. One province (Booshehr) showed no change. Eighteen provinces had 2-79% increase. No 2006 data was available in three provinces. North Khorasan had the most decrease while Kerman had the most increase in CSR. Six of these 8 provinces had CSR>3,000 despite a decrease in 2010, but North Khorasan had CSR