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Eye check-up and spectacles for patients from Mapusa and the Bardez coast

Bardez works outdoors and on the road: beach shacks and hotels in Calangute, Candolim, Baga and Anjuna, taxis and tourist buses, fishing boats at Siolim and the Chapora river, and farms inland. Each job is hard on the eyes in its own way. This page explains how an eye check-up and new spectacles at ReNew Vision fit into a day from Mapusa. The hospital is in Vasco, not Mapusa: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama.

Is the journey long?

It is about 37 km on NH 66 through Porvorim and Panjim, over the new Zuari bridge to Cortalim and along the Vasco road (NH 366): usually about an hour by car. By bus, go from the Mapusa KTC bus stand to Panjim and take a KTC shuttle to Vasco; an auto-rickshaw covers the last kilometre to Vaddem. If driving is a problem, we can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient; call 072489 88039. See also coming from another town.

Working in the sun on the Bardez coast

Sun on white sand and water, wind and salt spray, all season long, raise the amount of ultraviolet (UV) light reaching the eyes. Over years it is linked with pterygium, a fleshy growth that creeps from the corner of the eye on to the cornea, and with earlier cataract. If you work on the beach or on a boat:

• wear wrap-around sunglasses marked UV400, and a cap with a peak;
• if you need spectacles, ask about power sunglasses, so that you see clearly and stay protected;
• a pink, fleshy patch on the white of the eye, or eyes that are always red and gritty, are worth an examination.

Read more in power sunglasses in Goa.

Taxi, bus and tourist-van drivers

Night driving on the coastal roads brings oncoming headlights and unlit stretches. If headlights now seem to have starbursts or haloes, or you squint at road signs, get your eyes tested: it may be a change in power, and after about 50 it can be an early cataract. Anti-reflection coatings on spectacle lenses can reduce glare from lights. If you need an eye fitness certificate for a licence or a job, bring the form; see eye fitness certificates.

What the check-up includes

The vision and spectacle power test, the eye pressure, an examination of the front of the eye and, often after drops that widen the pupils, the lens and the retina. A colour vision test can be added for job forms. More on the complete eye check-up.

Choosing spectacles in the same building

After the test, the Vision Correction Centre helps you choose frames and lenses. For work on the coast, ask about:

• sturdy frames that stand up to sweat and salt air, and lenses that resist scratches from sand;
• lenses that darken in sunlight, if you move in and out of the shade all day;
• a second pair, so you are never without spectacles in the busy season.

Ask when the spectacles will be ready, and plan the collection trip, since Vasco is an hour from Mapusa. Rinse salt and sand off with clean water before wiping the lenses.

Timing your visit

• The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed.
• If you work in tourism, the quieter monsoon months may be the easiest time for a full check-up.
• Leave Mapusa by about 2:30 pm if dilating drops may be used; after them, do not drive home, especially after dark.
• Bring your spectacles, old prescriptions, and any sugar or BP reports.

Sand, a fish hook or a chemical in the eye is an emergency. Rinse with clean water and come in; emergency eye care is available 24 hours on 072489 88039.

Questions patients ask

How do I reach ReNew Vision from Mapusa by bus?

Take a bus from the Mapusa KTC bus stand to Panjim, then a KTC shuttle to Vasco. From the Vasco bus stand, an auto-rickshaw takes you to Vaddem, about a kilometre away.

I work on the beach all day. What sunglasses should I use?

Wrap-around sunglasses marked UV400, with a cap. If you wear spectacles, power sunglasses let you see clearly while protecting your eyes. The Vision Correction Centre can advise on lenses and frames.

Headlights look blurred and spread out at night. Is it my eyes?

It may be a change in spectacle power, or after about 50, an early cataract. A complete eye check-up finds the cause. Avoid night driving until you have been examined.

Can I get an eye certificate for my taxi licence?

Eye fitness certificates for a driving licence, a job or school are done at ReNew Vision. Bring the form to the check-up.

Is ReNew Vision in Mapusa?

No. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, about 37 km from Mapusa. It has no branch in North Goa.

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