Purpose. To study the epidemiological features of cataracts and the organization of medical care for people with this pathology. Material and methods. In the population cross-sectional study Ural Eye and Medical Study on the basis of the Ufa Research Institute of Eye Diseases, 5899 people aged 40 years and older took part, among them men – 43.7% (2580 people), women – 56.3% (3319 people). Statistical data analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistic software package. Results. According to the results of the study, the prevalence of cataract in people older than 40 years was 42.8% (95% CI: 41.4–44.2%), the prevalence of cataract surgery was 6.1% (95% CI: 4.0–9.3%). The coverage of surgical treatment of patients with cataracts among the study population was 39.8%, the rate of its effectiveness was 32.1%. The main reason that reduces patients’ adherence to timely treatment is the lack of interest of the patient himself and insufficient awareness of the complications and methods of modern cataract treatment. Conclusion. The introduction of medical and organizational measures contributed to an increase in the overall coverage of surgical treatment of people with cataracts by 25.6% (from 39.8 to 65.4%), the rate of effective coverage of surgical treatment of patients with cataracts – from 32.1 to 57, 7% and the target for maximum visual acuity fr om 80.6 to 88.2%. Key words: population study, cataract surgery, prevalence of cataract surgery