Evaluation of the Impact of Free Cataract Surgery Camps on Community Uptake in Kwara State

Free cataract surgical camps are a cornerstone of blindness prevention programming in Nigeria, yet a systematic evaluation of their impact on community-level surgical uptake and outcomes in Kwara State remains absent from the published literature. This study evaluates the impact of free cataract surgery camps on community cataract surgical uptake and visual outcomes in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. A retrospective programme evaluation design will be employed. Data from six free cataract surgical camps conducted between 2020 and 2023 under the Kwara State Blindness Prevention Programme will be reviewed. Metrics will include number of persons screened, eligible patients identified, surgical uptake rate among eligible candidates, surgical volume per camp, visual acuity outcomes at one month post-operatively, complication rates, and patient satisfaction scores. Community mobilisation approaches used for each camp will be documented and correlated with uptake rates. While cataract camps deliver high volumes of surgery at low per-patient cost, studies from comparable programmes in Nigeria identify persistent barriers including late presentation, surgical fear, post-operative follow-up non-attendance, and insufficient community awareness before camps. This study provides a Kwara State programme performance assessment and generates recommendations for optimising camp impact. Findings will be disseminated to the Kwara State Ministry of Health and the Sightsavers Nigeria country programme. Recommendations will address enhanced pre-camp mobilisation timelines, integration of camp surgery with fixed facility capacity building, and implementation of post-operative home visit protocols. Keywords: cataract surgery camp, surgical uptake, community mobilisation, Kwara State, visual outcomes