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Cataract surgery for patients from Bicholim: two routes south and a plan around festivals

Bicholim (Dicholi in Konkani and Marathi) and the villages around it, such as Sanquelim (Sankhali), Mayem, Sarvona, Latambarcem, Mulgao, Pale and Surla, sit in North Goa's old mining belt, an hour or more from Vasco. A cataract operation (motibindu) at ReNew Vision is still very possible from there, with the trips planned in advance. The hospital is in Vasco, not in Bicholim: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama.

Which road should we take?

OpenStreetMap routing finds two routes of about 48 to 50 km each:

• Via Amona and Old Goa: east to Sankhali, across the Mandovi at Amona, on towards Old Goa, then south through Neura to the new Zuari bridge and Cortalim.
• Via Mapusa and Panjim: west towards Aldona and Mapusa, then NH 66 through Porvorim and Panjim to the new Zuari bridge.

Both end on the Vasco road (NH 366) from the Cortalim junction, through Zuarinagar and Chicalim into Vasco. The routing tool shows about 50 minutes; plan on an hour and a quarter, and more on weekday evenings, when Porvorim and Panjim are slow. Check Google Maps before you leave and take whichever is clearer that day.

Without a car

• Bus: KTC buses run from the Bicholim bus stand to Panjim through the day, and KTC shuttles run from Panjim to Vasco. The Vasco KTC bus stand is about 1 km from the hospital.
• Train: Thivim station on the Konkan Railway is the nearest for relatives arriving from Mumbai or Mangaluru, but the journey on to Vasco is by road.
• Pickup: we can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient. On the surgery day, that saves two bus changes. Call 072489 88039 to arrange it.

The visit plan

1. Check-up and counselling: the eye doctor examines both eyes after dilating drops and, if surgery is advised, explains phaco or SICS, the lens types and the fee. Ask whether the lens-power test can be done on the same visit.
2. Surgery day: a few hours, with an adult companion throughout.
3. First check: usually the next day or soon after. From Bicholim, some families go home and return; others stay the night with relatives nearer Vasco.
4. Follow-ups over the next weeks, the second eye if needed, and new spectacles once the eye has settled.

The operation itself is explained on cataract surgery at ReNew Vision.

Planning around Chovoth, Shigmo and family events

In Bicholim, Ganesh Chaturthi (Chovoth) brings the whole family home, with days of cooking, visiting, crackers and smoke, and Shigmo brings crowds on the streets. Those are not the weeks to be healing from eye surgery. If you can:

• fix the surgery date so that the first two or three weeks fall clear of a big festival;
• on the other hand, use a festival visit by a son or daughter to plan the first check-up, when there is someone to drive;
• after surgery, keep the patient away from firecracker smoke, cooking smoke and crowds until the surgeon says the eye has settled.

Years of dust and outdoor work

Many older people in the Bicholim belt worked for years on the mines, in quarries or in the fields. After surgery, keep dust out of the eye for some weeks: car windows up on dusty roads, dark glasses on, no sweeping or work in dust until the surgeon allows it, and no rubbing if grit gets in.

What to bring

• the patient's spectacles, old eye reports and all medicine strips, including blood thinners
• recent sugar and BP reports
• sunglasses, water and a light snack

Hours and emergencies

The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed. From Bicholim, leave by about 2:30 pm. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours: after surgery, call 072489 88039 at once if pain, redness or blurred vision increases. The general plan for other towns is on coming from another town.

Questions patients ask

How far is ReNew Vision from Bicholim?

About 48 to 50 km, either via Amona and Old Goa or via Mapusa and Panjim, then over the new Zuari bridge. Allow about an hour and a quarter by car.

Can we come from Bicholim by bus?

Yes, with a change. Take a KTC bus from Bicholim to Panjim, then a KTC shuttle to Vasco, and an auto-rickshaw from the Vasco bus stand to Vaddem.

Should we avoid cataract surgery near Ganesh Chaturthi?

If you can, plan the date so the first few weeks after surgery fall clear of big festivals, with their smoke, crackers and crowds. Ask the surgeon when the eye will have settled.

Do we need to stay near Vasco for the first check?

Not always. Some families from Bicholim go home and come back; others stay the night with relatives nearer Vasco. The surgeon will tell you when the first check is due.

Is there a ReNew Vision clinic in Bicholim?

No. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is only in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama. We can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient.

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