Home › From other towns › Sawantwadi: cataract surgery

Cataract surgery for patients from Sawantwadi: coming to Goa across the Patradevi border

Sawantwadi, with its Moti Talao and its painted wooden toys, is in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, but Goa is close, and many families from the town and from villages such as Banda, Insuli, Kolgaon, Charathe and Madkhol cross the border for shopping and medical care. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is in Vasco, Goa, not in Sawantwadi: 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama. This page explains how to plan cataract surgery (motibindu in Marathi and Malvani) from Sawantwadi.

Which way, and how long?

OpenStreetMap routing gives about 82 km. Head south to Banda and join NH 66, cross into Goa at Patradevi, and continue past Pernem and Dhargal to Mapusa. NH 66 then runs through Porvorim and Panjim, past Bambolim and over the new Zuari bridge to Cortalim, where the Vasco road (NH 366) takes you through Zuarinagar and Chicalim into Vasco. The tool shows about 75 minutes on empty roads; allow about two hours, and more on weekday evenings through Porvorim and Panjim.

Train, bus or car?

• Train: Sawantwadi Road station on the Konkan Railway, outside the town, has trains south to Madgaon. From Madgaon, Vasco is about 27 km by bus or taxi.
• Bus: Maharashtra ST buses and Goa's KTC buses run between Sawantwadi and Panjim; from Panjim, KTC shuttles go to Vasco, whose bus stand is about 1 km from the hospital.
• Pickup: 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.

Children in Mumbai or Pune?

Many Sawantwadi parents have sons and daughters working in Mumbai, Pune or abroad, who come home on leave. Their leave is the natural time to plan the operation:

• the first check-up can be done on an ordinary OPD day with a neighbour or relative, so that the surgery date is known before they book tickets;
• the surgery day and the following two or three days are when their help matters most;
• Konkan Railway trains from Mumbai stop at Sawantwadi Road and Madgaon, and flights land at Dabolim, about 5 km from the hospital, or at Mopa, closer to Sawantwadi.

Our family checklist for a parent's cataract surgery covers the rest.

The visit plan

1. Check-up and counselling: the eye doctor examines both eyes after dilating drops and, if surgery is advised, explains phaco or SICS, the lens types and the fee. Ask whether the lens-power test can be done on the same visit.
2. Surgery day: a few hours, with an adult staying throughout.
3. First check: usually the next day or soon after. With two hours each way, staying the night in Goa is often simpler.
4. Follow-ups over the next weeks, then the second eye and new spectacles if needed.

How the operation is done is on cataract surgery at ReNew Vision.

Choosing the lens for the life you lead

Sawantwadi has many people who do fine close work: toy makers and painters, tailors, goldsmiths, and readers of the daily Marathi paper. The lens put in during surgery is usually set for one distance. A standard (monofocal) lens set for distance means reading spectacles afterwards; some people prefer it set nearer. Toric lenses correct astigmatism, and multifocal lenses aim at both distances but do not suit every eye. Tell the surgeon what you do all day, and read choosing a lens for cataract surgery before the visit.

What to bring

• spectacles, old eye reports and every medicine strip, including blood thinners
• recent sugar and BP reports
• food, water and sunglasses for a long day

Hours and emergencies

The Eye OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday included; Sunday OPD is closed. From Sawantwadi, leave by about 1:30 to 2 pm. Emergency eye care is available 24 hours: after surgery, call 072489 88039 if pain, redness or blurring increases. For a severe injury, go to the nearest hospital first. See coming from another town.

Questions patients ask

How far is ReNew Vision from Sawantwadi?

About 82 km, through Banda, the Patradevi border, Pernem, Mapusa and Panjim, then over the new Zuari bridge. Allow about two hours by car.

Can we come by train from Sawantwadi?

Yes. Take a Konkan Railway train from Sawantwadi Road to Madgaon, then a bus or taxi about 27 km to Vasco.

Should we stay in Goa after the operation?

Often that is simpler. The first check is usually the next day or soon after, so staying the night in Goa saves a second long journey. Ask the surgeon when it is due.

I paint wooden toys. Which lens should I choose?

Tell the surgeon about your work. A lens set for distance means reading spectacles for close work; some people choose a nearer setting. Multifocal lenses do not suit every eye. The surgeon advises after examining you.

Is there a ReNew Vision clinic in Sawantwadi?

No. ReNew Vision Eye Hospital is only in Vaddem, Vasco da Gama, Goa. 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.