Home › From other towns › Pernem: cataract surgery

Cataract surgery for patients from Pernem: three rivers, one long drive and a late return

Pernem (Pednem) is Goa's northernmost taluka, from Dhargal, Virnoda, Korgao and Tuem to Mandrem, Morjim, Arambol (Harmal) and Querim (Keri) near the Maharashtra border. Coming to Vasco means crossing almost the whole of Goa. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vasco, not in Pernem: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama. With the dates fixed early, a cataract operation (motibindu, the same word in Konkani and Marathi) can be planned without strain.

The route: the Chapora, the Mandovi and the Zuari

OpenStreetMap routing gives about 55 km from Pernem town. NH 66 runs south past Virnoda and Dhargal, crosses the Chapora at Colvale, and reaches Mapusa. It continues through Guirim and Porvorim, over the Mandovi into Panjim, past Bambolim and over the new Zuari bridge to Cortalim. From the Cortalim junction, the Vasco road (NH 366) runs through Zuarinagar and Chicalim into Vasco. The tool shows about 55 minutes; in real traffic, plan on an hour and a half, more on weekday evenings. From the coastal villages, add the drive to the highway.

Public transport is possible, but slow

By bus, it means three legs: Pernem to Mapusa, Mapusa to Panjim, then a KTC shuttle from Panjim to Vasco, whose bus stand is about 1 km from the hospital. Pernem station is on the Konkan Railway, and trains run south to Madgaon, about 27 km by road from Vasco. Both are fine for a fit companion, but tiring for an elderly patient. 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. Relatives flying in can land at Mopa, in Pernem taluka itself, or at Dabolim, about 5 km from the hospital.

A visit plan that keeps the trips few

1. First visit: the full check-up with dilating drops. If surgery is advised, our eye surgeon explains phaco or SICS, the lens types and the fee. Say you are from Pernem and ask whether the lens-power test can be done the same day.
2. Surgery day: a few hours at the hospital, with one adult staying throughout.
3. First check: usually the next day or soon after. Ninety minutes each way twice in two days is a lot, so some Pernem families stay the night with relatives in Panjim, Margao or Vasco. Ask the surgeon what suits.
4. Follow-ups over the next weeks, then the second eye and new spectacles if needed.

Details of the surgery are on cataract surgery at ReNew Vision; the family checklist is in planning a parent's cataract surgery.

Getting home after 7 pm: meals and medicines

The OPD closes at 7 pm, so after a visit you may reach Pernem around 8:30 or 9 pm. For a patient with diabetes:

• carry a meal or snack and water, and do not skip food because of the journey;
• plan the evening tablets or insulin with the meal, as the physician advised; ask your physician if the timing needs adjusting for the day;
• bring the latest sugar reports to every visit, since steady sugar matters before surgery. See cataract surgery with diabetes.

On the surgery day, keep the shield or dark glasses on in the car, rest with the head back, and avoid leaning the operated eye against the window if the patient dozes.

Cashew season and farm work

Many Pernem families pick cashew from about February to May, and work the fields in the monsoon. After surgery, dusty picking, carrying loads and bending low should wait for some weeks, as the surgeon advises. If you can, fix the date so that recovery does not fall at the height of the season.

What to bring

• spectacles, old eye reports and all medicine strips, including blood thinners
• sugar and BP reports, food and water
• sunglasses and a shawl for the evening drive

Hours and emergencies

The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed. From Pernem, leave by about 2 pm. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours; after surgery, call 072489 88039 at once if pain, redness or blurring increases. For a severe injury far from Vasco, go to the nearest hospital first. More on coming from another town.

Questions patients ask

How long is the drive from Pernem to ReNew Vision?

About 55 km down NH 66 through Mapusa, Panjim and the new Zuari bridge. Plan on an hour and a half, more on weekday evenings.

Can we use the train from Pernem?

Pernem station is on the Konkan Railway, and trains run to Madgaon, about 27 km by road from Vasco. From there, take a bus or taxi. For an elderly patient, the home pickup is easier.

Should we stay overnight after surgery?

Some Pernem families stay the night with relatives nearer Vasco, because the first check is usually the next day or soon after. Ask the surgeon when it is due.

My father has diabetes. How do we manage the late return?

Carry food and water, keep his usual meal and medicine routine as his physician advises, and bring recent sugar reports. Ask the physician if the dose timing needs adjusting for the day.

Is there a ReNew Vision clinic in Pernem?

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.