Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 12-01-2017, 16:02   #1
Registered User
 
Training Wheels's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Left coast.
Posts: 1,451
Eye Care in Mexico

I've always heard there is very good dental care in Mexico, but how about eye care? Are there good Ophthalmologists that you would trust to do cataract surgery on YOUR eyes? If so, how's the price?
Training Wheels is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-01-2017, 17:51   #2
Marine Service Provider
 
SV THIRD DAY's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: La Paz, Mexico
Boat: 1978 Hudson Force 50 Ketch
Posts: 3,920
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

From our experience in Mexico yes.
Caterax surgery, detached retina surgery it's all quality and 1/4 the price.
The KEY to finding good healthcare in Mexico was to ASK around the Cruiser Community. Don't just walk into a Tourist Doc...talk to the folks on the ground on the Cruiser nets and find out who has been taking care of the Gringo Cruisers.
__________________
Rich Boren
Cruise RO & Schenker Water Makers
Technautics CoolBlue Refrigeration
SV THIRD DAY is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2017, 11:08   #3
cat herder, extreme blacksheep

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41
Posts: 18,967
Images: 56
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

neighbor is going to guadalajara for his cataracts i think next month. he is paying 40,000 pesos each eye for da kine--with the lenses that adjust and alladat fol de rol. if he is successful and can again see, i will start saving my pennies and pesos for some of that... the other kinda lens is the 20,000 peso kind--each eye, mind you-- these will correct either for farsighted results or nearsighted. so for htat one, do you wish to wear glasses to see far or to see near.
i am awaiting results upon his return from surgery and recuperation
guadalajara, btw, has an excellent world class medical school. i believe there is another one in mexico city but i am not certain, and a teaching hospital in colima. baja--go to usa--you are already in so cal anyway.
did you realize the universal language in medicine is english. the mds who are bashful about speaking do understand if you are slow and deliberate in your pronunciation of words. it is, however, only polite to learn the language of your host nation.
ps i am in mazatlan.
zeehag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2017, 11:18   #4
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: UK and Central America
Boat: Tucker CA41 Steel 40 foot Ketch
Posts: 402
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Also very good eye care in Guatemala, for example, Catarrh treatment in Rio Dulce costs between US$800 - US$1600 per eye depending what type of lens you choose
Triumphant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2017, 11:33   #5
Registered User
 
s/v Moondancer's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Miami
Boat: Boatless
Posts: 1,578
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Find a surgeon that trained in the US.

We thought the dental care was good until a prof of dentistry in Seattle told my wife that her Mexican work would be called malpractice in the US?
__________________
Phil

"Remember, experience only means that you screw-up less often."
s/v Moondancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2017, 12:58   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: St. Petersburg, Fl.
Boat: Cambria 44/46
Posts: 103
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Fly me down. Please! Please! I'll do it.

No, I'm an Optometrist and don't do major surgeries. However I'm an expert consumer of cataract surgeries. I order them for my patients and have watched the procedure change and become better for the last 30 years. I know what to look for in the field.

There are many very good cataract surgeons out there and a few bad ones. But the difference between a "good" surgery and a "great" one is the difference between night and day for the rest of your life. You want a great outcome and that requires a protocol.

First you need and experienced surgeon at least 40 years old, less than 70. Someone who had grown with the latest technology and had done lots of procedures. I mean LOTS of procedures. 3 or 4 a week won't cut it. 20 or 30 a week is more like it. That means you need to look in an urban setting. You should also look for a very large clinic with 10 or more physicians that offers multiple ophthalmology specialties.

These things will insure a fixed regimen of pre-op and post-op protocols. Though we all like to think of ourselves as individuals, surgical outcomes are data points and refer back to what works over and over again. Don't be seduced by a nice solo doctor and friendly clinic. You must look for an assembly line surgical system. They should be nice too but "busy" is the key.

Your final result should be very near plano- no Rx, for distance in both eyes. For a cruiser I recommend standard implants, not multifocals. They have debilitating glare at night and not Monovision which is one eye for near and one for distance. With the standard implants you will have to put on reading glasses for near but you'll have binocular vision which is a must for depth perception. The standard implants are cheaper too.

My apologies to my physician peers who do good cataract surgeries. I mean no disrespect. These are my observations and opinions only, gleaned from years of primary eye care practice.

Cheers,
Dennis
DennisDW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2017, 13:12   #7
Registered User
 
Training Wheels's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Left coast.
Posts: 1,451
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Wow, thanks everybody for the great information! Dennis, thank you for your detail and the explanation of the different lenses. Right now my cataracts are not too bad, but we plan on leaving in the fall. Trying to decide whether to do them now while we have insurance, or wait a couple of years and do them in Mexico.
Training Wheels is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2017, 14:03   #8
Registered User
 
DeepFrz's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Winnipeg
Boat: None at this time
Posts: 8,462
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

I just had my second eye done last Fri. The first operation was done in early Dec. It is so good to be able to see again. I can read so well now but I will need glasses for distance viewing although I am legal to drive. The difference in light and color perception is wonderful. My night vision is remarkably improved and really so much better when driving.

Talk with the surgeon and do your research about the pros and cons of near sight vs. distance vision. It should be your choice.
DeepFrz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13-01-2017, 14:07   #9
Moderator
 
JPA Cate's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, cruising in Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 28,438
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Hi, TW,

I just had mine done, in Australia. Not bargains. However, if the cataracts are bothering you now, haloes, loss of contrast, maybe discomfort in bright light, see your optometrist, then get it done. Why endure the downside? Especially, the loss of contrast means you see ships at night after your non-cataract-affected partner, and this is scary for them.

If I had it to do over, I would go for the one long one short plan, and tell my body to deal with it (a process that has worked for me relative to many things). The opthalmologists don't like to do it because some people have a hard time making the adjustment, but the ability to see without wearing glasses is really good when there is spray or rain, you just blink.

Ann

on edit: I hope zee is right about the quality of Mexican work nowadays. When we were there, people who had crowns done there had to have them re-done two or three years later, in the US, and the place in La Paz where i had my teeth cleaned was like a time travel trip back 30 yrs.! This may, of course have changed by now, but it my experience would function as a warning for me relative to any medical procedure. Your mileage should vary.
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
JPA Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-01-2017, 07:04   #10
cat herder, extreme blacksheep

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41
Posts: 18,967
Images: 56
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

the myth that usa trained are better is truly a myth.
guadalajara is an excellent medical school--far better than many usa schools.
there are many OPINIONS, i have seen, not much fact.
i HAVE worked with mds from guadalajara. ohmygods my head will fall off hahahahaha
as for the dentist calling licensed medical doctors bad--sorry that does not wash in my book. most dentists have not much medical school background. i would trust my garbageman's opinion first on that point. (he has to use em!!! the dentist is in a bubble, elsewhere without a clue except his 30 hours annually of continuing education.)
during my tenure of 4 yrs as a cardiac nurse in cedars sinai , as well as the rest of my over 30 yrs as an rn, intensive, pacu and emergency and field work, and~~ i met many out of country trained residents and fellows. they were better than the usa trained ones. oops. i have also met physicians who were graduated good med schools and did poorly in their residency and did not make fellowship. still specialists in field..oops......
guadalajara has excellent school and there would be a good place to research for surgery. as i previously stated, i will be advised as to the skills of the surgeon by a boat neighbor once he has undergone the procedures.
zeehag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-01-2017, 07:07   #11
Registered User
 
Training Wheels's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Left coast.
Posts: 1,451
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Please let me know how it goes.
Training Wheels is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-01-2017, 07:14   #12
cat herder, extreme blacksheep

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41
Posts: 18,967
Images: 56
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Quote:
Originally Posted by Training Wheels View Post
Please let me know how it goes.
i will post as soon as i see him after surgery--i will arrange for a meeting with him and relate his report. should be a couple of months, per his loosely written s c h e d u l e. (i donot dare write that word inside my boat)
i am most interested in this, as well, as i am currently in mazatlan and i will most likely require this procedure done within a few more years.

ann-- there are many changes-- and some old persistent ways. i vet my physicians well and hopefully so does this neighbor--if he cannot see--i will go blind before having surgery.
i am impressed with the upgrades in other professions, as well as those in medicine here. --i am watching.
zeehag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-01-2017, 10:02   #13
Registered User
 
Training Wheels's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Left coast.
Posts: 1,451
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Thank you!
Training Wheels is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2017, 01:46   #14
Moderator
 
JPA Cate's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, cruising in Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 28,438
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Quote:
Originally Posted by zeehag View Post
i will post as soon as i see him after surgery--i will arrange for a meeting with him and relate his report. should be a couple of months, per his loosely written s c h e d u l e. (i donot dare write that word inside my boat)
i am most interested in this, as well, as i am currently in mazatlan and i will most likely require this procedure done within a few more years.

ann-- there are many changes-- and some old persistent ways. i vet my physicians well and hopefully so does this neighbor--if he cannot see--i will go blind before having surgery.
i am impressed with the upgrades in other professions, as well as those in medicine here. --i am watching.
Exactly, Zee,

Things change over time, and unless you're there to assess, who's to tell.

'Twas why I added the caveat.

To all of you out there, there is no reason whatsoever to assume that Mexican people are inferior in any way to Americans. There may be variations in training, but then, YOU must get to the bottom of tha

Ann
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
JPA Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2017, 18:25   #15
Registered User
 
DeepFrz's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Winnipeg
Boat: None at this time
Posts: 8,462
Re: Eye Care in Mexico

Quite a few years ago I knew a Mexican physician who was training in Edmonton. Many Mexican doctors have trained in their specialties in other countries. I'm sure there are good and bad clinics just as there are good and bad clinics in every country. Searching the internet should let you know if a clinic you have in mind is good or bad.

However, when you do the research, read the critiques carefully. When I researched the surgeon who was going to do my eyes he had a lower rating than I would have liked. I read the critiques and found that many people were put off because he was busy. I knew he was busy but he never was rushed to the point where he didn't take the time to answer my questions or to fully explain the procedures. He is also a Professor of Ophthalmology at a major university and I am very happy with his care and the results.
DeepFrz is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
Mexico

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
How to Take Care of the Oceans Which Take Care of Us . . . SarasotaYacht Seamanship & Boat Handling 1 04-11-2011 10:31
How to Eye Splice Double Braid Rope Bob Norson Deck hardware: Rigging, Sails & Hoisting 58 14-09-2010 04:29
Eye Wear?? ssullivan Health, Safety & Related Gear 22 01-12-2005 15:47
Eye trouble irwinsailor Health, Safety & Related Gear 2 04-05-2004 13:41

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 22:50.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.