Home › From other towns › Quepem: eye check-up and spectacles

Eye check-up and spectacles for patients from Quepem: dust, sun and sugar

In Quepem taluka, eyes take a beating: dust from trucks and old mining roads, glare on paddy fields and long days in the sun. Add diabetes and high BP, both common in Goa, and a regular eye check-up becomes more important than people think. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vasco, not in Quepem: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama.

Gritty, red or watering eyes from dust

Fine dust settles on the eye and under the lids. It can make the eyes red, gritty and watery, and it can make dry eye worse. Useful habits:

• wear wrap-around glasses or sunglasses on a scooter or in an open vehicle;
• wash your face and closed eyelids with clean water after a dusty day, instead of rubbing;
• if grit is stuck, blink and rinse with clean water; do not dig it out with a cloth corner or a matchstick;
• do not use leftover eye drops from home, or drops a shop gives without a prescription; some can make an infection or an ulcer much worse.

A red eye that stays painful, sticky or blurred for more than a day needs an examination. If a stone chip or anything sharp hits the eye, come the same day: emergency eye care is available 24 hours.

Diabetes and BP: why the retina needs checking

Diabetes can damage the retina, the seeing layer at the back of the eye, for years before vision changes. High blood pressure can affect the retina too. If you have either, an eye check-up at least once a year is wise, even if your sight seems fine. The eye doctor examines the retina after drops that widen the pupils. Bring your latest sugar and BP reports. What else the check-up covers is on the eye check-up page.

Reading glasses for older eyes

Many people in Quepem's villages manage for years with borrowed reading glasses or ones bought at a weekly market. They may give each eye the wrong power, and they hide the slow blur of a cataract. An eye test gives the right power for each eye, and the Vision Correction Centre makes the spectacles in the same building. See reading glasses after 40 and, for those who need distance and near in one pair, progressive or bifocal lenses.

How to reach ReNew Vision from Quepem

By road, about 42 km: west through Paroda into Margao, north on NH 66 to the Cortalim junction, then the Vasco road (NH 366) through Zuarinagar and Chicalim. Allow about an hour. By bus, change at the Margao KTC bus stand for Vasco; the Vasco bus stand is about 1 km from the hospital. A few trains from Sanvordem-Curchorem station run to Vasco da Gama station. We can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient; call 072489 88039. More on coming from another town.

Spectacles that last in Quepem's dust

Dust scratches lenses when it is wiped off dry. Rinse spectacles under clean water first, then dry them with a soft cotton cloth. Ask at the Vision Correction Centre about scratch-resistant coatings, a sturdy frame and a hard case. If you work outdoors, power sunglasses with UV protection cut glare from the fields and the road.

Planning the day

• The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed.
• Leave Quepem by about 2:30 to 3 pm if you expect drops; they take time to work and blur vision for a few hours afterwards.
• After drops, do not ride home. Come with someone who can drive, take the bus, or use the pickup and drop.
• Bring your spectacles, any old eye papers, medicine strips and sugar or BP reports.
• Ask when your spectacles will be ready, so the collection trip can be planned.

Questions patients ask

My eyes are always red and gritty from road dust. What should I do?

Wear wrap-around glasses when riding, rinse your closed eyes with clean water after a dusty day, and do not use leftover drops. If the redness stays, or there is pain or blurring, have your eyes examined.

I have diabetes. Do I need an eye check even if I see well?

Yes. Diabetes can harm the retina before vision changes. An eye check-up at least once a year, with the retina examined after drops, is wise. Bring your sugar reports.

Can I get reading glasses made from Quepem in one trip?

Usually yes. The eye test is done in the Eye OPD and the Vision Correction Centre is in the same building. Ask when the spectacles will be ready.

How do I get to ReNew Vision from Quepem by bus?

Take a bus to the Margao KTC bus stand, then a bus to Vasco. From the Vasco bus stand, an auto-rickshaw takes you to Vaddem, about 1 km away.

Is ReNew Vision in Quepem?

No. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is only in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, about 42 km from Quepem.

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