Introduction. Cataracts are one of the main causes of reversible blindness and visual disability. Purpose: to study the prevalence of cataracts in persons over 40 years old, depending on the type of lens opacity, gender and place of residence of the respondents. Material and research methods. In the population cross-sectional study "Ural Eye and Medical Study", carried out on the basis of the Ufa Research Institute of Eye Diseases, 5098 people were examined, among them men - 45.0% (2296 people), women - 55.0% (2802 people), city residents - 35.7% (1821 people), rural - 64.3% (3277 people). Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistic software. Results. According to the results of the study, the frequency of cataracts in persons over 40 years old is 42.8%. The prevalence of nuclear, cortical and subcapsular types of cataracts was detected in 37.2%, 12.7% and 0.6% of cases, respectively. The frequency of cataracts among urban residents was 51.1%, rural residents - 38.2%, among men - 37.6%, women - 47.1%. Conclusion. The prevalence of cataracts in the Republic of Bashkortostan in the population of people over 40 years old was 42.8%. The predominance of age-related cataracts was revealed in females, as well as in urban residents due to the presence of regional characteristics.