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Cataract surgery for patients from Quepem: from the fields to Vasco and back

Quepem (Kepem) is now the headquarters of Goa's new Kushavati district, and its villages, such as Paroda, Avedem, Cotombi, Xeldem, Balli, Assolda and Morpirla, are farming country: paddy, coconut, areca and cashew. Many older people there have worked in the sun for a lifetime, and years of strong sunlight are one of the things that can bring cataract (motibindu) earlier. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vasco, not in Quepem: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama.

How do we get from Quepem to Vaddem?

OpenStreetMap routing gives about 42 km. The usual road runs west from Quepem through Paroda into Margao, then north on NH 66 through Seraulim and Nagoa to the Verna plateau. At the Cortalim junction, the Vasco road (NH 366) takes you through Zuarinagar and Chicalim into Vasco. The routing tool shows under 40 minutes; with Margao's town traffic, allow about an hour.

• By bus: take a bus from Quepem to the Margao KTC bus stand, then a KTC shuttle or private bus to Vasco. The Vasco bus stand is about 1 km from the hospital.
• By train: Sanvordem-Curchorem station, a short ride from Quepem, is on the railway line that ends at Vasco da Gama, about 3 km from the hospital. Only a few trains a day run, so check the timetable.
• Pickup: we can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient. Ask when you call 072489 88039.

What does the plan look like?

1. Check-up and counselling in the Eye OPD, with dilating drops. If surgery is advised, our eye surgeon explains phaco or SICS, the lens types and the fee, and the lens-power test is arranged, often on the same visit.
2. The surgery day, a few hours long, with a family member staying throughout.
3. The first check, usually the next day or soon after. Quepem is about an hour away, so you can normally go home and come back.
4. Follow-ups over the next weeks, then the second eye and new spectacles if needed.

How the operation is done is explained on cataract surgery at ReNew Vision, and the differences between the two methods in phaco or SICS.

When can he go back to the fields?

This is the question most Quepem families ask. The eye needs protection while it heals, so for some weeks after surgery, as the surgeon advises:

• avoid dusty work, such as threshing, sweeping dry leaves or handling copra and cashew;
• keep mud, field water and sweat out of the eye, and do not wash the face by splashing;
• avoid lifting heavy loads, such as sacks or coconut bunches, and bending low for long;
• wear the dark glasses outdoors, and the shield at night.

Light work around the house is usually fine much sooner. If you can, plan the surgery for a time that does not clash with transplanting or harvest, so that nobody feels pushed back to work too early. The season itself makes little difference to the surgery; see cataract surgery in the rainy season.

Dust from the roads and the mining belt

Parts of Quepem taluka see dust from trucks, quarries and old mining roads. In the first weeks after surgery, keep the windows of the car closed on dusty stretches, wear the dark glasses, and do not rub the eye if grit gets in: use the drops as told and call us if it stays painful or red.

What to bring

• the patient's spectacles and any old eye papers
• every medicine strip, including blood thinners and eye drops
• recent sugar and BP reports; diabetes is common in Goa, and it should be steady before surgery
• sunglasses, and food and water for the wait

Hours, and help at night

The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed. From Quepem, leave by about 2:30 to 3 pm. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours: if pain, redness or blurring increases after surgery, call 072489 88039 at any hour. See also coming from another town.

Questions patients ask

How far is ReNew Vision from Quepem?

About 42 km, through Paroda and Margao and up NH 66 to Verna and Vasco. Allow about an hour by car, more if Margao is busy.

Can we come by train from Quepem?

Sanvordem-Curchorem station is on the line that ends at Vasco da Gama station, about 3 km from the hospital. Only a few trains run a day, so check the timetable, or use the bus via Margao.

When can a farmer go back to field work after cataract surgery?

Light work at home usually starts soon. Dusty, muddy or heavy field work waits for some weeks, as the surgeon advises at the follow-up visits.

Do we need to stay overnight in Vasco?

Usually not. Quepem is about an hour away, so most families go home after surgery and return for the first check, often the next day.

Is there a ReNew Vision clinic in Quepem?

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.