Tests and Procedures for Cataract Surgery as FAQs
FAQ ON CATARACT SURGERY
Question: I would like to proceed with a Cataract Surgery for my mother at Mulamoottil Eye Hospital. I have some questions before proceeding with the surgery.
The first step is to check the vision. If your mother cannot read a small print or the "flash news / news scroll" on TV with each eye, then she has a vision problem.
The next step is to check the actual vision scientifically. It can be done in any optical shop, by an optician or at any eye hospital.
If you are doing the test at Mulamoottil Eye Hospital, then it will cost only the consultation fee, which may come to an average of Rs 300- (USD 10).
Checking the vision takes only 10-15 mts.
Yes of course! You can mail us at appt@mulamoottileyehospital.com OR
Log on to www.mulamoottileyehospital.com/fix.php and make an online booking, OR
Phone us at +91 97440 88300 or +91 99475 99999
- You can do this test anywhere that is convenient to you and mail us the visual status. The distinct advantages of doing this very simple and preliminary test at Mulamoottil Eye Hospital are:
- You will have a medical record at Mulamoottil Eye Hospital with the pre-operative vision recorded.
- Experts at MEH will positively determine whether the vision decrease is entirely due to cataract or whether you have any other cause for decreased vision. This is important because many a time, this simple differentiation is overlooked and the vision after cataract surgery may not be satisfactory as other diseases are missed out when clinicians focus only on identifying the cataract and removing the cataract only.
There are several other tests specific for cataract surgery that you should do only at Mulamoottil Eye Hospital.
These are:
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Tests to determine if your eye is healthy and the nerve is normal.
- OCT - a 5 micron scan of the retina to evaluated the health of the eye nerve and predict vision after cataract surgery
- B-Scan Ultrasonography - for persons with dense cataract. The scan helps to identify any gross problems in the retina. It is not as sensitive as OCT.
- Topography - to evaluate the corneal shape and identify any corneal problems.
- Automated Keratometry - to evaluate the corneal astigmatism and aid IOL power calculation
- Manual Keratometry - to cross verify the automated readings.
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Tests to determine if the eye pressure is normal and there is no glaucoma
- IOP measurement with Applanation / Rebound tonometer
- Pachymetry
- Corneal Analysis
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Tests to determine the correct Intra Ocular Lens (IOL) power
- A-scan biometry - to check the length of the eye and calculate the IOL power
- Immersion scan -a more sensitive calculation of the length of the eye and accurate IOL power
- Optical Biometry- for cross verification. We use the Alcon Biograph for verifying the Lens Power. No other hospital has this in kerala.
- Blood Tests
- ECG
- General Eye Tests
- Surgical planning by one of our specialists
- Counseling & Surgical appointment.
All these pre-surgery tests will take between 60-90 minutes.
After these tests, you will have a meeting with one of our specialists and a final meeting with our surgical counselor. This might take another additional 30 minutes.
These pre-surgery tests will cost approximately Rs.3500 or USD 100.
Yes, you may.
But, since standards vary in different countries / regions, we might repeat some sensitive tests at Mulamoottil Eye Hospital.
If you opt to do the tests at a facility other than Mulamoottil Eye Hospital, it would be better to e-mail us the reports a week before the intended date of surgery.
Yes, of course!
In the rare event that your surgery cannot be done on the same day, we can schedule it for the next day. For such events, we have a fully furnished guest house complex with 10 well-furnished rooms. Stay at the guest house is free of cost. You can do the tests one day, do the surgery the next day and then leave by afternoon for your home. If you are from outside India, you can stay another additional day, have a final check-up and then leave for the airport immediately afterward. We shall be happy to provide airport pick-up and drop facilities upon request.
There are hotels nearby if you choose to stay at one.
If you are form outside India and coming with a large family, we have service apartments for your comfort.
Normally we ask for a review after 1-2 days.
Most often, that is the final review. But, if you would like to come and review after the schedule of post-operative medicines are over, we will be happy to provide another review appointment.
For patients outside India, we generally review them after a day and they are free to fly back to their home country.
LASER CATARACT SURGERY (Blade-free technology) & Micro Cataract Surgery are the safest of all cataract surgery. The post-operative precautions are minimal
They are:
- Do not touch the operated eye for a week
- The person applying the eye drops should wash their hands with soap before the same
- Do not touch the tip of the bottle with your fingers. Special instructions will be provided by nursing staff.
- You can take a shower / head bath after a day. Keep the eye closed while in the shower.
- This precaution can be taken for 2 weeks.
- You can go to work, drive a car, cook, go shopping, etc after a day.
- You can wear a protective clear glass (supplied by MEH) for 3-5 days. Dark glasses are not recommended.
- Clean the lashes and the lids of the operated eye (with eye closed) twice a day. Special instructions will be provided by nursing staff.
A letter from her doctor is welcome but not mandatory as Laser Catract Surgery and Micro Cataract Surgery is the safest cataract surgery and we do not anticipate any complications.
Mulamoottil Eye Hospital is located in Kozhencherry in the district of Pathanamthitta in south Kerala. It is a small town by the side of the legendary Pamba River and not far away from the renowned hills shrine of Sabarimala and the heritage village of Aranmula.
