The cataract situation in Suriname: an effective intervention programme to increase the cataract surgical rate in a developing country.

Aims: To provide an overview of cataract data in Suriname and to describe and evaluate a programme to control cataract blindness in a developing country.

Design: Evaluation of hospital data and findings from a population-based cross-sectional survey.

Methods: The implementation of a new cataract surgical intervention programme was described and retrospectively evaluated by analysing the number of cataract operations and other related indicators at the Suriname Eye Centre (SEC) in the period 2006-2014.

Diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in people aged 50 years and older in the Republic of Suriname.

Background/aims: Population-based surveys on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are necessary to increase awareness and develop screening and therapeutic programmes. The aim was to estimate the prevalence of DR in older adults of different ethnic backgrounds in Suriname.

Methods: Fifty clusters of 60 people aged ≥50 years were randomly selected with a probability proportional to the size of the population unit.