Introduction: In Peru, one in six adults over 50 years old has cataracts. This proportion increases due to the lack of routine visual assessments among older adults. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the socioeconomic inequalities in visual assessments among older adults with cataracts in Peru. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Demographic and Family Health Survey in Peru from 2013 to 2023. Socioeconomic conditions such as gender, age, educational level, wealth quintile, area or place of residence, health insurance status, and comorbidities were evaluated. Inequalities were estimated using the concentration index (CI) and Erreyger's modification (ECI). Results: Of the 6,367 older adults with cataracts included in the study, 93.1% (95%CI: 92.2 to 93.9) had a visual assessment. The average age of the participants was 76.7 years, with over half of them being women (56.2%). Conditions such as educational level, wealth quintile, area or place of residence, and comorbidities mediated differences in the proportion of adults with cataracts who had visual assessments (p<0.001). Adults without education (ECI: -0.16), residents of rural areas (ECI: -0.41), or those outside Lima (ECI: -0.51) exhibited greater inequalities in receiving visual assessments. Conclusion: Among older adults with cataracts, living in rural areas or outside Lima and having a low educational level were identified as key factors mediating greater inequality in visual assessments. Keywords: Socioeconomic Health Disparities; Health Inequality Monitoring; Health Inequities; Cataract; Ophthalmic Insurance; Elderly; Peru.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding

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The data obtained from the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (or INEI, in Spanish) platform: https://proyectos.inei.gob.pe/microdatos/