Cataract Surgery-standards and medicament pricing

[Jonmarleesco]

Haven't yet had it done, having a few years before it becomes necessary. But Samitivej are worth consulting. Cost at 50,000 per eye, but I suspect it might be available cheaper.

[KhnomKhnom]

I am looking at my typing now through two cataract cured eyes with new lenses.

My idea about my health is to go without eating if necessary to get the top care and for me that is clearly Bumrungrad Hospital in BKK. I have proven it right for me for over ten years and will not change until charges start to hurt my family.

I ask, "Why shop price when YOUR EYES are at stake?"

It is one thing to go to a cheapy to get your nail clipped, another for EYES, for gosh sakes!!!!

Bunrungrad has a web site with typical prices and if asked, will answer your specific need cost in English, no less.

[landslide]

As a person who has had 4 corneal transplants and one cataract surgery by the age of 45, I can say with conviction to spend the money for the best doctor and experience you can find. I have been blind in one eye or another at varioous times in my life due to desease. I now have 20-20 vision at age 59. My surgeries were done in the USA and the last two transplants were darn expensive, about $190,000, of which I had to pay half, since I went out of network for my surgeon and hospital. The cataract surgery was a bargain at $9,800, but still not as inexpensive as it would be in Thailand. My first transplant required 8 days in the hospital, my second 3 days, and the final 2 and the cataract surgery were out patient, but they were done 20 years after the first 2 transplants. Your sight is precious. I would not gamble to save a few bucks.

[jacko45k]

I had lens replacement surgery (a by product of catarct surgery) due to a detached retina at Rutnin Hospital in Bangkok. The hospital is near Soi Cowboy.

The consultation (with Dr. Rutnin), treatment, accomodation and outcome were excellent, and I have no hesitation in recommending a consultation with them.

Cost, a bit steep at 100,000 Bt but in my case BUPA picked up the tab, so happy days.

Interested to read this. I have decided not to go for lens replacement as a corrective measure until I need it, for say cataract.

I have quite a few friends who have had successful operations, but one person I know developed a detached retina subsequently, this concerned me.

Quite a few attempts were made to reattach it, which led to a lot of expense, but ultimately sight was lost.

Your post said you had detachment prior. Was there a cataract problem already, or was it simply expedient to change the lens to permit the other procedure?

[chrissables]

Be VERY careful in choosing who does this op.

I had a terrible time and in the end the Rutnin Clinic did a great job of repairing the bad work of another hospital. Blind now in one eye!

This photo was taken less than an hour after i was told nothing was wrong.

023.jpg

OMG! mate, that looks bloody shocking. This is why i would only go to the best for eye surgery. Only last year here there was a case where 4 people were blinded at the same hospital. Another reason to have only one done at a time.

Hope all is now well, you poor bugger, i feel for you.

The initial operation for a cataract and the cause of the detached retina where at a top international hospital. I had 5 general anesthetic operations in an attempt to repair the damage, i was boss eyed!

I then went to another international hospital when the pain was so bad, they said all ok and an hour later the photo was taken!

The Rutnin clinic did a very good job, corrected my boss eyed look but i had already lost the sight of my eye by that time.

[smotherb]

You seem to be talking in the future so no way to know price but now runs from about 30K to 90 K per eye depending on where done and lens used. Yes it is done everywhere and at highly regarded specialist facilities.

Please tell me where it can be done for 30,000B?

If you are looking for the cheapest job, Hatyai hospital, a government hospital, offers single lens for B26k per eye--of course there are exam and medicine extras. I imagine you could find even cheaper, but they are your eyes mate.

However, Top Charoen, the eyeglass people, have a specialized clinic outside Bangkok, which does each eye for B39k, but there are diagnostic exams and medication, so for both eyes about B85K, with single lens and about B150K for both eyes with bifocal lenses.

Had mine done at the Top Charoen center in March--I went there on the recommendation of a friend, but I had an appointment at Bumrundgrad hospital as a backup to be sure. After I saw the doctors, the test equipment, and had my diagnostics at Top Charoen, I cancelled the Bumrundgrad appointment. I could not be happier with the results.

My sight was so bad I was thinking about giving up riding my bike and driving, and forget about using a computer. I could not see more than 30 meters in front of me, and was using +400 reading glasses to even squint at my laptop--forget about reading my cell phone. Now, even with only the single lens--I was too old for the bifocals--I can read books, newspapers, menus, my laptop, and my phone without reading glasses. Granted, with +125 reading glasses I can see much better for small print, but I do not need them. Needless to say, I feel good about riding again.

It takes about 30 minutes to dissolve the original lens and insert the artificial lens in each eye. There is no pain, they give you a local, but it is uncomfortable when they are working on your eye. Then they patch you up and have you come in the next day to remove the bandage--you can stay that night at a hotel they have next door, or return to your hotel of choice. I went back to my friend's house where we partied. They ask you to use drops, take antibiotics, do not rub your eyes, and to keep water away from them for a couple of weeks. I recommend you do one eye at a time. In most cases, you can see fine as soon as they take off the bandages.

I did my left eye first, it was weakest. When they removed the bandage, I could see no better than before, but by the next day it was fine. I did my right eye after two weeks and could see immediately after the bandages were taken off.

As to how to budget for it--well, that depends on how much money you have.

[Will2011]

I don't have cataract, but had a trauma problem and went to Christian hospital, which is a private institution in Bangkok. In a nutshell, I was treated by a Professor of the trauma department, and highly discourage anybody who wants to have surgery to do it in Thailand. Even though there might be good health care providers in Thailand, standards are not the same as in western countries and medical knowledge in quite low in my opinion. They might have degrees from foreign schools, but I do realize that many wouldn't be allowed to practice in most developing countries, having said that nobody will ask them to produce their foreign diplomas anyway.

So, as I think cataract is a quite important surgery affecting one of the most important parts of your body, why take a chance? Do it back home.

[Jessi]

Going back a few years, many people were blinded by Cataract surgery in Thailand at several different hospitals including Rutnin hospital.

It was caused by the drops they used, some cheap import from China.

I am sure Sheryl will remember this and perhaps know more about it than me.

[maphraw]

Has anyone had a cataract operation done at Queen Sirikit Hospital in Satthhip, Chonburi, next to Utapow Airport. My insurance covers me at that hospital. It's a government hospital but they have a good rep, for the most part, with the expats in that area. I may have to have a cataract operation.

[CBR250]

I don't have cataract, but had a trauma problem and went to Christian hospital, which is a private institution in Bangkok. In a nutshell, I was treated by a Professor of the trauma department, and highly discourage anybody who wants to have surgery to do it in Thailand. Even though there might be good health care providers in Thailand, standards are not the same as in western countries and medical knowledge in quite low in my opinion. They might have degrees from foreign schools, but I do realize that many wouldn't be allowed to practice in most developing countries, having said that nobody will ask them to produce their foreign diplomas anyway.

So, as I think cataract is a quite important surgery affecting one of the most important parts of your body, why take a chance? Do it back home.

Of course one wants the safest, highest quality treatment for our one and only bodies every time. However, "doing it back home" is probably no safer than in the better institutions of Thailand. In fact, some institutions "back home" may be far worse than here, despite their more polished appearance. If you check, you will find a scary number of people who are killed or damaged by surgical procedures or other medical interventions in USA, England, Australia, Germany, Canada and any other developed country you care to name. And as an example of the dangers that lurk in "developed" western facilities, check on the MRSA (superbug) infections that are entrenched in some of these "superior" western hospitals.

I take issue with your dismissal of Thai qualifications and medical knowledge. Medical and related qualifications such as dental and nursing degrees here in LOS are probably as demanding as they are anywhere in the world. That western medical faculties accept Thai undergraduate degrees quite readily for the purposes of postgraduate study indicates that the Professors of Medicine, Surgery and specialties in developed countries don't agree with your assessment of Thai medical education either.

Where I do agree is that facilities here may not be as strictly overseen as they are in Europe etc. and there is a wider range of acceptable standards, so you need to ensure you find a good place to have surgery done by a qualified and experienced professional. That's something I appreciate about Thai Visa - it provides an opportunity to gather evidence from the experience of others in the LOS. So thanks for warning that you had a bad experience in a Christian facility in Bangkok, but be cautious in generalising based on that experience.

[larsjohnsson]

I payed $ 40 in Sweden. The normal price for any operation

[Will2011]

I don't have cataract, but had a trauma problem and went to Christian hospital, which is a private institution in Bangkok. In a nutshell, I was treated by a Professor of the trauma department, and highly discourage anybody who wants to have surgery to do it in Thailand. Even though there might be good health care providers in Thailand, standards are not the same as in western countries and medical knowledge in quite low in my opinion. They might have degrees from foreign schools, but I do realize that many wouldn't be allowed to practice in most developing countries, having said that nobody will ask them to produce their foreign diplomas anyway.

So, as I think cataract is a quite important surgery affecting one of the most important parts of your body, why take a chance? Do it back home.

I take issue with your dismissal of Thai qualifications and medical knowledge. Medical and related qualifications such as dental and nursing degrees here in LOS are probably as demanding as they are anywhere in the world. That western medical faculties accept Thai undergraduate degrees quite readily for the purposes of postgraduate study indicates that the Professors of Medicine, Surgery and specialties in developed countries don't agree with your assessment of Thai medical education either.

Take it as you like. After all, you are unaware of my "Thai qualifications and medical knowledge". Though. I never heard any serious health care provider recommending Thailand as a advanced place for non-cosmetic surgery purposes. However, experts recognize Cuba as a quality health care spot for specific health conditions. It doesn't mean Thai health care providers are necessarily bad, but it doesn't mean they are good either. If I had to choose, I'd rather have post surgery complications in the U.S. (costs excluded) than in Thailand, as there are more recovery options, having said that language and communication style are important factors for quality services.

Let's be honest, health is a huge business industry. One of the reasons western medical facilities accept Thais is because they need and make money out of students. But it's not even restricted to Thais, as professionals working in the medical field know that even western students who don't have the level are even accepted, as medical skill standard is getting lower.