Abstract
Objective
To determine the frequency of Hepatitis B & C in patients undergoing elective eye surgery.
Methods
This cross sectional hospital based study was conducted at Eye Department, Combined Military Hospital ( CMH) Kharian, from Jan 2011 to June,2012. 554 patients of both sexes with age groups 14 to 90 years, who were to undergo elective eye surgery, were included in the study. All patients were subjected to screening for Hepatitis B & C using Enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA).
Results
Testing for blood borne pathogens was performed in 554 patients undergoing elective eye surgery. There were 443 (79.96%) males and (20.04%) females. 48(8.70%) patients were found to be positive for Hepatitis B & C.
Conclusion
Preoperative screening of patients lays importance in preventing the spread of these blood borne viral infections to the medical staff.

Key words: Elective eye surgery, hepatitis B, hepatitis C