Disability-adjusted life years resulting from ocular injury-traumatic cataract among Indian population

Objectives: Ocular trauma poses a serious threat to vision, leading to visual impairment that significantly impacts quality of life and productivity. In this study, we calculate the disability adjusted life years (DALYs) for individuals affected by traumatic cataracts and assess the associated economic loss per DALY. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analyzes traumatic cataracts following ocular trauma in all cases presented and managed at a single center. Demographic and clinical data were exported from an electronic medical record system into an Excel sheet and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 22. We assessed the extent of vision impairment among cases and calculated DALYs using national and global data. In addition, we estimated economic loss per DALY using standard formulas. Results: Our cohort consisted of 2,093 eyes, with 70.3% males and 29.6% females, and a median age of 25 years. Among these, 825 (39.4%) were from the pediatric age group (0–18 years). A significant portion of the cohort, 1,780 patients (85%), came from a poor socioeconomic background. We found that 57% of patients experienced vision impairment. Using these clinical data along with national and global data, we calculated the DALYs for traumatic cataracts to be 6,223, with the cost per DALY estimated at 6,426.2 USD. Conclusion: Visual impairment resulting from ocular trauma contributes significantly to DALYs in India, imposing a substantial economic burden on both the country and society.