If you are a patient from USA or UK, who is all set to undergo a cataract surgery in the near future, the cost of the surgery would have really caught you by surprise. Yes ... a cataract surgery in UK would cost anywhere between £2,000-3,000 in UK. And the numbers are equally high in the United States. Chances are you are looking for a less inexpensive way to go about with your surgery. That's where, medical tourism comes in.
Medical tourism is the latest buzz that's taking the western world by storm. More and more medical tourists are flying to countries like India, Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia for surgeries and medical treatments that are nearly unaffordable to many in USA and UK. For example, a cataract surgery costs just £650 in India. Now, would you believe the cost difference! But don't worry; the surgeons are as qualified as those in USA and UK. They are equal to their counterparts in USA and Europe in terms of both skill-sets and experience. Technologically too, these countries are up-to-date and the infrastructural facilities are on par with the west.
Cataract surgery is performed on patients when the natural lens of the eye gets cloudy and normal vision is impaired. A permanent intraocular lens (IOL) implant is used as a replacement for the natural lens of eye for better vision. This surgery is for people whose clarity of vision has greatly reduced over the years, with colors seeming to fade and with an inability to perform normal activities because of limited vision.
Before the start of the cataract surgery, eye drops and medications to relax the patient will be administered. Local anesthetic is given to make the surgery painless. After the pre-surgical procedures like cleansing the skin around the eye is performed, the surgeon makes at least one small incision in the eye, under an operating microscope. The cloudy natural lens or the cataract is then mechanically removed. This procedure is called phacofracture. Sometimes, the cataract is broken using an ultra-sound-driven instrument and suctioned out of the eye. This procedure is called phacoemulsification. The natural lens is then replaced with a plastic or a silicone intraocular lens.
Cataract surgery is mostly performed on an outpatient basis. Surgery is performed one eye at a time only and lasts just about 10 minutes. After surgery, you will need to administer eye drops several times a day for few weeks. You may be able resume all your normal activities with improved vision in a few weeks time.
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