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Eye check-up and spectacles for patients from Pernem: when glasses are no longer enough

In Pernem's villages, it is common to hear an elder say that even new spectacles do not help any more: the newspaper letters swim, faces are hard to recognise, and threading a needle is impossible. Sometimes it is only the wrong power. Sometimes it is a cataract, or damage to the macula, the centre of the retina. A proper examination tells them apart. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vasco, not in Pernem: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama.

Why new spectacles sometimes do not help

• Cataract: the eye's lens turns cloudy, and no spectacle power clears it. Surgery is the treatment.
• Macular degeneration: age-related wear of the macula blurs or distorts the centre of vision, while the side vision stays. Straight lines, like a door frame, may look wavy.
• Diabetes or high BP affecting the retina, or glaucoma damaging the optic nerve.

A complete check-up covers the spectacle power, the eye pressure and an examination of the lens and retina, usually after drops that widen the pupils. See the complete eye check-up. Macular degeneration care at ReNew Vision includes regular checks and advice; if the eye doctor finds that a treatment not done here is needed, they explain the referral.

Low-vision aids: making the most of the sight that remains

When sight stays poor even with the right glasses, aids can still bring back everyday tasks:

• stronger reading spectacles, set for a closer distance;
• hand and stand magnifiers, some with their own light, for reading aarti books, hymn books, medicine labels and the newspaper;
• bright, even lighting aimed at the page, and large-print calendars and phone settings.

Trying them at the Vision Correction Centre shows what helps. Read low-vision aids.

Younger workers: scooters, shifts and screens

Many people from Pernem ride every day to work in Mapusa, Panjim, the coastal hotels or the airport at Mopa. Wind and dust on NH 66 dry the eyes, and night shifts and screens strain them. Wear a visor or wrap-around glasses on the scooter, take screen breaks, and if you use contact lenses, never sleep in them after a long shift unless your eye doctor has allowed it. If a job form asks for an eye test or a colour vision test, bring the form; if it must be signed by a specially approved examiner, check that with the employer first.

How to reach ReNew Vision from Pernem

By car, about 55 km down NH 66 through Mapusa, Porvorim and Panjim, over the new Zuari bridge to Cortalim, then the Vasco road (NH 366): plan on an hour and a half. By bus, change at Mapusa and Panjim; the Vasco bus stand is about 1 km from the hospital. For an elderly person, ask for the home pickup and drop when you call 072489 88039. The general plan is on coming from another town.

Choosing spectacles

For an older person who needs both distance and near power, the choice between bifocals and progressives depends on steadiness on stairs and how much they read. See progressive or bifocal lenses. Ask when the spectacles will be ready, so the collection can be planned; the trip from Pernem is long.

Planning the day

• The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed.
• Leave Pernem by about 2 pm; drops take time to work.
• After drops, nobody who had them should drive or ride home, especially in the dark.
• Bring current and old spectacles, a list of medicines, and sugar or BP reports.
• Bring the actual book or task the person struggles with; it helps in choosing aids.

A sudden loss of vision, a curtain over part of the sight or a sudden distortion of straight lines needs attention the same day. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours on 072489 88039.

Questions patients ask

My grandmother's new spectacles do not help. What could it be?

It may be a cataract, macular degeneration, diabetic or BP changes in the retina, or glaucoma. A complete eye check-up, with the lens and retina examined after drops, finds the cause.

What are low-vision aids?

Aids that help people who see poorly even with the right glasses: stronger reading spectacles, hand and stand magnifiers, and better lighting. The Vision Correction Centre lets you try them.

Do you treat macular degeneration?

ReNew Vision provides macular degeneration care: diagnosis, regular checks, advice and low-vision aids. If a treatment not done here is needed, the eye doctor explains the referral.

How do we reach ReNew Vision from Pernem by bus?

Take a bus to Mapusa, then to Panjim, then a KTC shuttle to Vasco. From the Vasco bus stand, an auto-rickshaw covers the last kilometre. The home pickup is easier for elders.

Is ReNew Vision in Pernem?

No. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is only in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, about 55 km from Pernem town.

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