Abstract:  Objective To conduct economic evaluation on the senile cataract blindness prevention project in Hezheng County of Gansu Province in 2014-2016. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants 407 senile cataract patients and 109 cataract patients received sight restoration surgeries between 2014 and 2016 in Hezheng County of Gansu Province. Method Questionnaires were distributed to all study objects and to evaluate the efficiency of the project through the method of net benefit analysis, cost benefit analysis and cost effectiveness analysis by measuring total economics benefit and cost. Main Outcome Measures direct cost, indirect cost, direct economic benefit, indirect economic benefit, total cost, total economic benefit, net benefit, cost benefit ratio, cost effectiveness ratio. Results Total economic burden caused by senile cataract in Hezheng of Gansu is 21.42 million Yuan. Total economic benefit inferred from senile cataract surgeries in the project from year 2014 to 2016 is 3398424.98 Yuan, total cost is 2939125.20 Yuan, the net benefit is 459299.78 Yuan, and the benefit cost ratio is 1.16:1. The results indicate that every invest of 10 million Yuan of the project can reduce the blindness rate of 0.027% and disability rate of 0.164% caused by senile cataract. The ratio of total cost and change of blindness rate incurred from senile cataract blindness prevention project is 36.47. The ratio of total cost and change of disability rate incurred from senile cataract blindness prevention project is 6.11. The results indicate that 364.7 thousand Yuan is needed to invest to reduce every 1% of blindness rate caused by cataract, and 61.1 thousand Yuan is needed to invest to reduce every 1% of disability rate caused by cataract. Conclusions The comprehensive cataract blindness prevention project in Hezheng of Gansu province has better return on investment and technical efficiency. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2020, 29: 298-303)

Key words: senile cataract, blindness prevention, health economics evaluation