Cataract Operations in Chiang Mai Public Hospitals

[elgordo38]

Can anyone recommend and share experiences, costs on cataract operation in a Chiang Mai Public hospital? Private hospitals to expensive for my limited means.

PS DavidH Feel free to move this to the health forum as I do not know where it is and could not find it.

[Saan]

Suan Dok is the best public hospital in Chiang Mai in my humble opinion and eye surgery is done there. The cost in the private section, Sri Phat, is about 45000 baht an eye. I think you could knock about one quarter to one third off that at Suan Dok.

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, ElGordo38,

On the Chiang Mai TV forum there have been several threads discussing eye doctors, cataract surgery. I suggest you go to the CM forum, and do a search on "cataracts," selecting the "this forum" search-filter from the drop-down menu.

Here's a thread I started:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/702264-cataract-surgery-in-the-last-year-in-chiang-mai/#entry7397425

I'm fairly certain I'll have my right-eye cataract surgery done next year here (in Chiang Mai) at the main Publc Hospital, Maharaj on Suthep Road near Wat Suan Dok, going through their administrative service for expats 'Sriphat. The surgeon will be Dr. Paradee who also works at the expensive "four star" hospital Chiang Mai Ram.

cheers, ~o:37;

[connda]

I was scheduled for cataract surgery at Maharaj Government Hospital here in CM, but cancelled at the last minute. With that said, expect long waits to see a doctor. You'll need to get there by 8am (preferably before). They only accept a set amount of patients per day. Expect to spend the entire morning there (3 to 4 hours). Cost of surgery would have been approximately 30k baht/eye. Charges include a simple IOL implant, surgery, meds, and private room for three days. No, it's not out-patient like the West. They will expect you to have a physical prior to surgery (chest-xray, blood and urine tests, EKG). Another 3 to 4 hours. If you want a compound lens to correct near-sightedness/astigmatism, the price goes up a lot. You check in the day before surgery, and will stay at the hospital the day of surgery, and discharge the following day if everything is OK. Personally I recommend it. If you have it done at a private hospital and they have complications, guess where they send you? Best of luck. And this should be in the Chiang Mai forum. Mod?

Edited December 13, 2014 by connda

[connda]

Sawasdee Khrup, ElGordo38,

On the Chiang Mai TV forum there have been several threads discussing eye doctors, cataract surgery. I suggest you go to the CM forum, and do a search on "cataracts," selecting the "this forum" search-filter from the drop-down menu.

Here's a thread I started:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/702264-cataract-surgery-in-the-last-year-in-chiang-mai/#entry7397425

I'm fairly certain I'll have my right-eye cataract surgery done next year here (in Chiang Mai) at the main Publc Hospital, Maharaj on Suthep Road near Wat Suan Dok, going through their administrative service for expats 'Sriphat. The surgeon will be Dr. Paradee who also works at the expensive "four star" hospital Chiang Mai Ram.

cheers, ~o:37;

I need to clarify this. Sriphat is a private hospital that caters to anyone who wants less of a wait and can afford to pay the extra premium for this service either out-of-pocket or via insurance. On any given day the patient percentages are probably 98% Thai/asian and 2% expats, give or take a percent. It's housed in the same block of buildings as Maharaj. If you are covered by insurance, then this would be one the the places to go. If you're paying out-of-pocket and are on a budget, Maharaj is where you'll want to land.

[Saan]

I was scheduled for cataract surgery at Maharaj Government Hospital here in CM, but cancelled at the last minute. With that said, expect long waits to see a doctor. You'll need to get there by 8am (preferably before). They only accept a set amount of patients per day. Expect to spend the entire morning there (3 to 4 hours). Cost of surgery would have been approximately 30k baht/eye. Charges include a simple IOL implant, surgery, meds, and private room for three days. No, it's not out-patient like the West. They will expect you to have a physical prior to surgery (chest-xray, blood and urine tests, EKG). Another 3 to 4 hours. If you want a compound lens to correct near-sightedness/astigmatism, the price goes up a lot. You check in the day before surgery, and will stay at the hospital the day of surgery, and discharge the following day if everything is OK. Personally I recommend it. If you have it done at a private hospital and they have complications, guess where they send you? Best of luck. And this should be in the Chiang Mai forum. Mod?

Three days in hospital after cataract surgery? You must have had complications. I was in and out of Sri Phat on the same day.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

For what it's worth, just FYI, here's some eye opn costs at Rutnin here in Bangkok:

-- 1 Dec 1999 Rutnin Cataract w/ IOL (LE) b44,000 $1,151.12

-- 26 March 2005 Rutnin Cataract w/ IOL (RE) b 37,500 $1,901.43

-- 2 July 2003 Rutnin Trabeculectomy (LE) b 28,000 $681.69

-- 19 Jan 2011 Rutnin Trabeculectomy (RE) b 28,100 $931.70

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Oops, the post slipped away from me. Was going to note that the latter two opns were for out of eye drop control pressure, glaucoma, and very well solved he problem, the pressure, that is. Still have glaucoma and have the pressure checked every 3-4 months, but no eye drops since about March 2011.

Mac

[awayego]

Suan Dok is the best public hospital in Chiang Mai in my humble opinion and eye surgery is done there. The cost in the private section, Sri Phat, is about 45000 baht an eye. I think you could knock about one quarter to one third off that at Suan Dok.

Yes, I had a cataract op at Suan Dok/Sri Phat in JUly. The estimate I was given for a multifocal lens was 70,000bt (45,000bt for single focus lens) - the actual cost was just over 68,000bt. I had got quotes from other hospitals, including at Chiang Rai and at St Peter Eye Hospital Chiang Mai (which was quite a bit more expensive and not necessarily done by a retina specialist).

The op at Sri Phat was performed by Dr Janejit who saw me before and after and gave great care and attention, English very good. The result, for me, was miraculous - I couldn't believe how good my vision at all distances with colours so bright and clear. The op, under local anaesthetic, was tolerably uncomfortable and only took about 35 minutes. For a few weeks after there was a sensation of having some grit in the eye but it passed gradually.

The op was expensive for me because I'm retired and on a modest pension but worth every baht.

I will have to get the other one done in another 12-24 months but that will be trickier because some years ago I had an op for a partially detached retina on that eye.

Fortunately, Dr Janejit is a leading retinal surgeon as well so I hope she will still be available when the time comes.

Good luck with it all.

[larsjohnsson]

In a normal cataract operation you can leave the hospital 30 minutes after the surgery. I would not do it in a hospital that like you to stay 3 days in a private room.

[Alex Sharp]

I had both eyes done at Chiang Mai Ram last year. Around Baht 50,000.00 per eye. Procedure at 4.30 pm out of hospital around 7pm.

Outcome absolutely brilliant.

[connda]

In a normal cataract operation you can leave the hospital 30 minutes after the surgery. I would not do it in a hospital that like you to stay 3 days in a private room.

Please don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you how it works at Maharaj. They don't do it as 'out-patient'. Personally I don't see what difference it makes. The entire procedure for approximately $925 an eye? In the West they go the out-patient route because the price to stay in a hospital room is sky high. Here? They're a little more methodical. For me personally, it was not a problem.

Edited December 13, 2014 by connda

[Saan]

My recommendation for an eye specialist is Professor Songsanguan Ausayakhon (MBA John Hopkins) her

private clinic is on Sridonchai Rd and her phone number is 053449230,

[connda]

My recommendation for an eye specialist is Professor Songsanguan Ausayakhon (MBA John Hopkins) her

private clinic is on Sridonchai Rd and her phone number is 053449230,

She works out of Sripat and Maharaj. I've seen her at her private clinic and at my last visit to Maharah Hospital.

[larsjohnsson]

In a normal cataract operation you can leave the hospital 30 minutes after the surgery. I would not do it in a hospital that like you to stay 3 days in a private room.

Please don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you how it works at Maharaj. They don't do it as 'out-patient'. Personally I don't see what difference it makes. The entire procedure for approximately $925 an eye? In the West they go the out-patient route because the price to stay in a hospital room is sky high. Here? They're a little more methodical. For me personally, it was not a problem.

That's not really true. I have done both my eyes in the West. I paid $ 25 the first time. And $ 45 last year. If I had to stay a few days in the hospital it would have been about $100. So it depends on where you do it in the West.

But my point was, there is no reason to stay a few days in the hospital just because the price is lower than your home country.

[Kiwi1]

Have had cataract ops at Sripat/Maharaj, both eyes, operations about one year apart.

Did not have to wait long at any stage and was out of hospital same day, certainly no overnight stay.

Cannot remember price, but quite affordable for me and I am on modest income.

Quality of care excellent in every respect, am very pleased with the result.

At age 79 no longer need glasses which I had been wearing from about age 40, so saving on eyewear, too.

The second op I chose a multifocus lens, but now think the combination of short and long focus lens probably as good and is less expensive. This based on comparing notes with experience of my sister who had her ops done in New Zealand with long and short focus lenses and she has excellent functional vision and no need of spectacles.

Feel free to pm me if you want to know more.

[Issangeorge]

I have had both eyes done at a government hospital in Kalasin, one was ฿18,000 the other ผ฿15,000, regular lens. Had to check into the hospital the day before and released the day after the operation. Was glad I stayed overnight after the operation, felt far more comfortable, in case of a problem, and they cleaned the eye at least a couple of times during that time. I'm retired so have all the time in the world.

[smotherb]

I had both eyes done at Chiang Mai Ram last year. Around Baht 50,000.00 per eye. Procedure at 4.30 pm out of hospital around 7pm.

Outcome absolutely brilliant.

[/quote}]

I know you want the CM area and are on a limited budget, but they are your eyes.

I live in the South, so I tried Hatyai-Bangkok and PSU hospitals and a private eye clinic--the cost was approximately B40-50k/eye; however, for various reasons, at all three hospitals, I had no confidence in any of the doctors and sought other sources. I got advice from a friend to try the Top Charoen Eye Clinic in Bangkok--yeah, the eyeglasses people who are on every corner.

The total cost was just over B80K for both eyes, including exam, medicine, medical supplies, and a night in their hotel--for bifocal lenses it would be approximately B145k. The very thorough exam--much more than any of the three Hatyai hospitals provided--was the seller for me, it took about three hours with 20 different devices. I had five different consultations with the doctor during the three hours at which he explained every one of the tests and showed me detailed video/pictorial evidence of the condition of my eyes.

After the exams and consultation, each eye operation took about 30 minutes--I opted to do one eye at a time, just in case. After the op they bandage your eye; then in the morning, they remove the bandages and take you through five or six more exams. The doctor explains the results, and you're done; just be careful with water in your eyes and use eye drops for a week or so afterward. I stayed in their hotel with the first op, but stayed in my usual haunt in Bangkok for the second.

Not a problem and March 2015 will be one year--I can even use my computer or read a book without glasses. However, the big point is I can see to ride and drive again or to just watch the lovelies. Before the op, I could not see 30 meters in front of me and had to squint with +400 reading glasses to read large print.

[uptheos]

I had both eyes done at Chiang Mai Ram last year. Around Baht 50,000.00 per eye. Procedure at 4.30 pm out of hospital around 7pm.

Outcome absolutely brilliant.

Did you have both eyes done at once?

Who was the surgeon?

Edited January 3, 2015 by uptheos

[uptheos]

Mods could this be moved to the Chiang Mai forum?

[Camelot]

I know that some private hospitals insist that older patients spend at least one night in hospital after cataract surgery to guard against complications. My eye doctor said this was hospital policy but didn't tell me the age at which this became mandatory. I would guess around 65.

Now this is in Bangkok, but I suspect it is also practiced in Chiang Mai. It would explain why some patients stay overnight while others don't.

[Alex Sharp]

One eye done in November the other a month later ie December, 2013

My procedures in CM:

Dr. Rachada, (sorry but cannot find her surname)

4th Floor, CMR.

As said, the outcome absolutely brilliant. After 30 odd years no more specs.

Hope this of benefit.

If you'd like to discuss am on 087 193 5475.

[larsjohnsson]

I know that some private hospitals insist that older patients spend at least one night in hospital after cataract surgery to guard against complications. My eye doctor said this was hospital policy but didn't tell me the age at which this became mandatory. I would guess around 65.

Now this is in Bangkok, but I suspect it is also practiced in Chiang Mai. It would explain why some patients stay overnight while others don't.

It's just that they like people to stay longer so they can make more money. More than 90% of the cataract operations are at people older than 65. In my home country no one stay in the hospital even if they are 90 years old. And it's even nearly free if they had to stay (Sweden) Edited January 9, 2015 by larsjohnsson

[Issangeorge]

It seems to me that in Thailand it is the government hospitals, that want you to stay three days, two nights, the night before and the night after, they are not making any money from this. The private hospitals, will usually do it as an in and out procedure.