An international conference on recent trends in cataract surgery will be held in Mashhad with the presence of 500 ophthalmologists from Iran and some foreign countries.

According to WebDa, the Head of Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital (Mashhad University of Medical Sciences) said: “hosted by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, this international conference will be held by May 26^th”.

Stating that cataracts are most commonly due to aging, Dr. Akbar Derakhshan said: “one thousand cataract surgeries are performed in this hospital annually”.

He said: “Khatam-al-Anbia Eye Hospital of Mashhad is the most equipped and the biggest sub-specialist hospital in the north east of the country in which 49 specialists and most residents of ophthalmology work”.

He noted: “every year, 152,000 people refer to the ophthalmology clinic of Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital”.

Pointing that 100,000 patients refer to ophthalmology emergency of Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital annually, he added: “annually, 39000 eye surgeries are done in this hospital”.

The scientific secretary of the conference also said: “besides Iranian ophthalmologists, specialists from Germany, the U.S., Canada and Mexico will also participate in this conference”.

“Cataract surgery is widely performed in Iran with the same quality as in developed countries”, added Dr. Siamak Zarei.

“Cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which is due to aging and leads to a decrease in vision if not treated”, he noted.

He says that another type of cataract might be caused in children due to genetic factors.

A sub-specialist ophthalmologist said in this meeting: “cataract begins at the age of 45 and usually requires surgical operations around the age of 60”.

Dr. Mohammad Reza Sedaghat added: “cataract surgery is normally done on an outpatient basis with anesthesia and takes about 6 hours for the patient”.

As the medical hub of the north east of the country, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences has 8000 students and more than 17000 health and treatment staff.