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Cataract surgery in Vasco, Goa

What is a cataract?

Inside your eye, behind the coloured iris, sits a clear lens shaped like a small lentil. It focuses light on the retina at the back of the eye, the way a camera lens focuses a picture. With age, the proteins in this lens slowly clump together and the lens turns cloudy, often yellowish. That clouding is a cataract. In Konkani and Marathi it is called motibindu, and in Hindi motiyabind. (Kala motia and kachbindu are different: those are common names for glaucoma.)

A cataract is not a film on the surface of the eye; it is a change inside the lens. The only treatment that removes it is surgery, in which the cloudy lens is taken out and a clear artificial lens (an intraocular lens, or IOL) is put in its place for life.

Cataract is very common. India's National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey (2015-19) found it to be the main cause of blindness in people aged 50 and above. It is called avoidable blindness, because timely surgery can treat it.

What are the symptoms of cataract?

A cataract usually grows slowly, over months or years, so many people do not notice it at first. Common signs are:

• Blurred, cloudy or misty vision, as if looking through a dirty window
• Glare from sunlight, and haloes or starbursts around headlights and street lights at night
• Colours that look faded or yellowish
• Needing more light to read, sew or do fine work
• Frequent changes in spectacle power, or new glasses that do not help for long
• Double or ghost images in one eye

Other eye problems can cause similar signs, so an eye examination is needed before anyone calls it a cataract. Read more in early signs of cataract.

Who gets cataract, and why?

Age is the main reason, and many people over 60 have some cataract, though not everyone needs surgery. Other things can bring a cataract earlier:

• Diabetes. Goa has one of the highest rates of diabetes in India (26.4% of adults in the ICMR-INDIAB study, 2023), and diabetes tends to bring cataract earlier.
• Years of strong sunlight without sunglasses or a hat, common for people who fish, farm or work outdoors at the port.
• Smoking, and long-term steroid medicines such as steroid tablets or eye drops (never stop a prescribed medicine on your own).
• An eye injury, past eye surgery or inflammation inside the eye.

Rarely, a baby is born with cataract or a child develops one. A white patch in a child's pupil, or a new squint, needs an eye examination without delay.

When is cataract surgery needed?

No single line on the vision chart decides it. Surgery is usually advised when the cataract gets in the way of daily life: reading your phone, cooking, recognising faces, climbing stairs safely, driving at night, or doing your job. Early on, a new spectacle power and better lighting may be enough for a while.

An old belief in India is that a cataract must "ripen" (turn fully white) before it can be operated. That was true decades ago, with older methods. Today it is not needed, and a very mature cataract is harder to remove and can raise the eye pressure or cause inflammation. You also do not need to wait for winter: with today's surgery the season makes little difference.

No eye drop, tablet, diet or home remedy has been shown to dissolve a cataract, so be careful with anyone who promises otherwise.

How is cataract surgery done at ReNew Vision?

Our eye surgeon does two established kinds of cataract surgery. Both are done under local anaesthesia while you are awake, and both put in a new artificial lens.

Phaco with a foldable lens

In phacoemulsification (phaco), the surgeon makes a very small opening at the edge of the cornea, the clear front window of the eye. A fine probe uses ultrasound to break the cloudy lens into tiny pieces and remove them, leaving its thin outer bag (the capsule) in place. A foldable artificial lens is slipped in through the same opening and unfolds inside the capsule. The opening usually seals by itself.

Manual small-incision cataract surgery (SICS)

In SICS, the surgeon makes a slightly longer, tunnel-shaped opening in the white of the eye and takes the cloudy lens out in one piece, without ultrasound. The tunnel is shaped so that it usually closes on its own. SICS is widely used in India and often suits very hard or mature cataracts.

Which one is right for you?

Neither method is right for everyone. The surgeon decides after examining your eye: how hard the cataract is, the health of the cornea, how wide the pupil opens, other eye conditions, and the lens you choose. Studies show that both can give good vision. The full comparison is in phaco or SICS: which cataract surgery?

People often ask whether cataract surgery is done with a laser. At ReNew Vision it is done by phaco or SICS. A laser, the YAG laser, is used only later, if the capsule behind the new lens turns cloudy (see below).

Which lens will be put in my eye?

Before surgery, our eye surgeon explains the lens types that suit your eye:

• Monofocal lens: the standard choice. It gives clear vision at one distance, usually far. Most people then use reading glasses for close work, and some need a light spectacle power for distance too.
• Toric lens: for people with significant astigmatism, where the cornea is curved more like a rugby ball than a football. It corrects the astigmatism too, so distance vision without glasses can be sharper.
• Multifocal lens: designed to give both distance and near vision and so reduce the need for glasses for many daily tasks. It does not suit every eye, and some people notice haloes or glare around lights at night.

No lens suits everyone, and no lens can promise life without glasses. The choice depends on the health of your eyes, your work and hobbies, and your budget. The details are in choosing a lens for cataract surgery.

What is the lens power test (biometry)?

Every eye needs a lens of the right power, just as every person needs their own spectacle number. The lens power test measures the length of your eye (A-scan biometry) and the curve of your cornea (keratometry), and a formula then gives the lens power. It takes a few minutes and uses numbing drops, so you feel only a light touch. If you wear contact lenses, ask when to stop wearing them before the test.

What is the day of surgery like?

Cataract surgery is day-care surgery: most people go home the same day. A typical day goes like this:

1. You come with one adult who can take you home. Drops widen (dilate) the pupil, and your blood pressure and sugar are checked.
2. The eye is numbed with drops, sometimes with an injection near the eye as well. You stay awake.
3. In the operation theatre, the eye area is cleaned and covered with a sterile sheet, arranged so that you can breathe comfortably.
4. The surgery often takes about 15 to 30 minutes. You see light and colours, and most people feel little more than touch or pressure.
5. A shield is put over the eye, and after a short rest you go home with your drops and written instructions.

Plan for the whole visit to take a few hours. Step-by-step details are in cataract surgery: what to expect.

How long does recovery take?

Many people see more clearly within a day or two, though the eye takes a few weeks to settle fully. In those weeks you put in eye drops exactly as prescribed, wear the shield at night, keep water, soap and dust out of the eye, do not rub it, and come for follow-up checks (usually the next day, then at intervals your surgeon gives you). Your new spectacle power is checked once the eye has settled. Walking, light housework, TV and phone use are usually fine within a day or two. Full instructions are in precautions after cataract surgery.

Call us at once, day or night, if after surgery you have increasing pain, worsening vision, increasing redness or discharge, or a shadow over your vision. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours: see eye emergency.

What if my vision becomes cloudy again years later?

A cataract cannot grow back, because the natural lens has been removed. But in some people, months or years after surgery, the thin capsule behind the artificial lens slowly turns cloudy. This after-cataract (posterior capsule opacification) can feel as if the cataract has returned. A YAG laser treats it in the clinic by making a small clear opening in the capsule, in a few minutes and without a cut. ReNew Vision does YAG laser in Vasco; if your cataract surgery was done elsewhere, bring your surgery papers to the check-up.

What does cataract surgery cost?

The cost is different for each person, because it depends on the type of surgery (phaco or SICS), the lens you choose, the condition of your eye, the tests needed before surgery, and whether one eye or both are done. Our eye surgeon examines your eyes first; the fee for the plan that suits you is then explained at the consultation, so you know what it includes before you decide. See what decides the cost of cataract surgery.

Coming from another town, or bringing a parent?

ReNew Vision is in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, close to Dabolim airport and the Vasco railway station. It is a short trip from Chicalim, Dabolim, Sancoale, Cortalim, Verna, Zuarinagar, Bogmalo, Baina and Mangor Hill, and an easy drive from Margao, Panjim and Ponda. From Karwar, Belagavi or Sindhudurg, ask when you call how many visits your plan needs (usually a check-up with the lens power test, the surgery day, a check soon after and a few follow-ups), so they can be planned together. Many sons and daughters arrange a parent's surgery from Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru or abroad; the family checklist on cataract surgery for elderly parents covers escorts, eye drops, medicines and follow-ups.

How do I book a cataract check-up?

Start with a complete eye check-up: vision and spectacle power, eye pressure, the lens under a microscope, and the retina after dilating drops. If surgery is advised, you are told which method and lens types suit your eye.

• Where: ReNew Vision Eye Hospital, 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403802. See timings and directions.
• When: Eye OPD Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm. Sunday OPD closed. Emergency eye care: 24 hours.
• Call or WhatsApp: 072489 88039.
• Bring: your spectacles, old eye reports, a list of your medicines, and recent sugar and BP reports. Dilating drops blur vision for a few hours, so do not drive yourself home.

The general check-up is described on eye check-up in Vasco. After surgery, your new spectacles can be made at our Vision Correction Centre in the same hospital.

Cataract guides

EMI facility is available for treatment and services above ₹30,000.

Questions patients ask

Is cataract surgery done under general anaesthesia?

Usually not. The eye is numbed with drops, sometimes with an injection near the eye, and you stay awake. General anaesthesia is needed only in special situations, which your surgeon will discuss with you.

Does a cataract have to ripen before surgery?

No. That belief comes from older methods. Today surgery is advised when the cataract affects your daily life, and waiting until it turns fully white can make the operation harder.

Will I need spectacles after cataract surgery?

Most people still use spectacles for some tasks. With a standard monofocal lens, reading glasses are usually needed. Toric and multifocal lenses can reduce the need for glasses, but no lens can promise you will not use them. Your new spectacle power is checked a few weeks after surgery.

Can a cataract come back after surgery?

No. The cloudy natural lens is removed and cannot grow again. Some people later develop clouding of the capsule behind the new lens, which blurs vision in a similar way. It is treated with a short YAG laser procedure in the clinic.

Can both eyes be operated on the same day?

Usually each eye is done on a separate day, often one to a few weeks apart, so that the first eye can heal and its result can guide the second. Your surgeon will advise the gap that suits you.

Can I come for a cataract check-up on Sunday?

The eye OPD is closed on Sunday. Cataract check-ups are Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm. For a sudden eye problem, emergency eye care is available 24 hours on 072489 88039.

This page is general eye-health information, not personal medical advice. Your eye doctor advises you after examining your eyes.