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Cataract surgery for patients from Panjim: crossing the Zuari to Vasco
ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, about 27 km from Panjim over the new Zuari bridge, usually 35 to 50 minutes by car. Cataract surgery is planned as a check-up, the surgery day and a few follow-ups. We can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient.
From Panjim (Panaji, Ponnje in Konkani) and the neighbourhoods around it, such as Altinho, Fontainhas, Miramar, Caranzalem, Taleigao, Dona Paula, Ribandar and Santa Cruz, Vasco is across the river, not across the state. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vasco, not in Panjim: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama.
Merces near Panjim, or Vaddem Merces Road in Vasco?
Our address has the word Merces in it, and Merces is also a village just outside Panjim, on the way to Old Goa. They are different places. ReNew Vision is in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, on the far side of the Zuari. Please tell your taxi driver Vaddem, Vasco, or share our Google Maps pin, so that nobody ends up at the wrong Merces.
Which way do we drive?
OpenStreetMap routing gives about 27 km. Leave Panjim on NH 66 towards Bambolim, pass Santa Cruz and Agassaim, and cross the Zuari on the new cable-stayed bridge to Cortalim. At the Cortalim junction, take the Vasco road (NH 366) west through Zuarinagar and Chicalim into Vasco. The routing tool shows about 25 minutes on a clear road. In real traffic, allow 35 to 50 minutes, and more on weekday evenings, when the bridge and the Panjim end of the highway are busy.
By bus
KTC point-to-point shuttles run between the Panjim KTC bus stand and Vasco through the day. From the Vasco KTC bus stand, the hospital is about 1 km by auto-rickshaw. Relatives arriving by Konkan Railway can get off at Karmali, the station nearest Panjim, but the onward trip to Vasco is by road.
Home pickup and drop
We can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient. Ask for it when you call 072489 88039 to book. It is most useful on the surgery day and for the first check after it, when the patient must not drive. The general plan for families from other towns is on coming from another town.
How the visits fit together
- Check-up and counselling. Our eye surgeon examines the eyes after dilating drops, confirms the cataract and explains phaco or SICS, the lens types and the fee. The lens-power test follows, sometimes the same day.
- Surgery day. A few hours at the hospital; one adult stays with the patient.
- First check, usually the next day or soon after. From Panjim, most families go home and come back.
- Follow-ups over the next weeks, then the second eye if needed, and new spectacles once the eye has settled.
If your parent lives alone in Panjim
Many older people in Panjim live on their own while their children work in Mumbai, Bengaluru or abroad. Cataract surgery is still very possible, but plan three things before fixing the date:
- Drops. For some weeks, eye drops are needed several times a day. Decide who will put them in: a neighbour, a relative, a home nurse, or the patient if their other eye sees well enough. A tick-box chart on the fridge helps.
- The first night and day. Arrange for someone to stay, or for your parent to stay with family, at least until the first check.
- Stairs. ReNew Vision is on the 2nd floor. If your parent finds stairs difficult or uses a walker, tell us when you book, and plan the same for their own building.
The full family checklist is in planning a parent's cataract surgery.
What to bring
The patient's spectacles, old eye reports, every medicine strip (mention any blood thinner), recent sugar and BP reports, and sunglasses for the drive back.
OPD hours and emergencies
The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed. From Panjim, leave by about 3 pm. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours: if pain, redness or blurring increases after surgery, call 072489 88039 at any hour.
Questions patients ask
How far is ReNew Vision from Panjim?
About 27 km, over the new Zuari bridge and along the Vasco road. Allow 35 to 50 minutes by car, and longer on weekday evenings. Check Google Maps for the live route.
Is ReNew Vision in Merces, near Panjim?
No. Our address is Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, in Vasco da Gama. Merces near Panjim is a different place. Share our Google Maps pin with your driver.
Is there a bus from Panjim to Vasco?
Yes. KTC point-to-point shuttles run between the Panjim KTC bus stand and Vasco through the day. From the Vasco bus stand, take an auto-rickshaw for the last kilometre.
My mother lives alone in Panjim. Can she have cataract surgery?
Usually yes, with planning: someone to put in the drops for some weeks, someone with her for the first night and day, and help with stairs. Call 072489 88039 to plan the dates.
Does ReNew Vision have a clinic in Panjim?
No. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital has one address, 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.