DO YOU REALLY NEED GLASSES?

From eye surgery to advanced vision correction procedures, discover innovative treatments for vision problems.
Eye surgery may remove the need for glasses and contact lenses.

Taking care of your eyes is crucial, and it’s recommended to have a routine vision test every two years. If your vision isn’t perfect, your eye care professional will most likely give you a prescription for glasses or contact lenses. However, not all vision problems need these solutions. Eye surgery can sometimes fix the problems so you no longer need glasses or contacts. A number of Mediclinic Day Clinics offer a procedures to fix different eye issues. You can find out about the various eye procedures offered at these clinics, some of which are covered by the Mediclinic Private Fixed Fees (PFF) programme.

Ophthalmic treatments and vision correction

Some Mediclinic hospitals can also perform procedures that fix vision problems, so patients no longer need to wear glasses. These procedures include laser refractive surgery, which can treat myopia (short-sightedness) and hyperopia (far-sightedness), as well as correct abnormal cornea or lens shapes that cause astigmatism. Additionally, injections can help improve the vision of patients with conditions like diabetes, bleeding, swelling, or age-related macular degeneration.

The three key most common eye surgeries

1. Among the most common is cataract removal, says  Dr Junaid Zondi, an ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon at Mediclinic Newcastle who also practises in Johannesburg. Although cataract surgery is a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB), the cost of the lens may be a hurdle for some patients. Medical aids will pay only for a standard, monofocal lens, so cataract patients who need a premium, trifocal artificial lens, which provides short, mid, and distance range, must pay for this themselves.

2. Another routine operation is the removal of pterygiums (growths that sit on the white of the eye). “Depending on the size of the pterygium, this can be a vision-restoring procedure, as pterygiums can obscure vision as they grow,” explains Dr Zondi.

3. A surgery known as vitrectomy is also available as a day procedure for patients with problems like retinal detachment or bleeding at the back of the eye due to diabetes.

The link between diabetes and retinal issues

Dr Zondi is keen to start offering a service for retinal issues at Mediclinic Newcastle, which does not currently offer these kinds of surgeries. This way, patients won’t have to travel far to places like Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, or Durban to get such procedures done. He explains that more than half his Newcastle patients are diabetic. “Type 1 and type 2 diabetics are prone to a number of complications that affect the eye, such as diabetic retinopathy, which is caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina),” he says. 

“Eye surgery can help stabilise the eyes of diabetic patients by increasing oxygenation to the eye and decreasing the diabetic retinopathy. Patients who can control their blood sugar levels through diet are less likely to develop this eye complication and resulting vision problems.”

A Mediclinic ophthalmologist will in some cases recommend a procedure to correct or restore your vision.

Clear vision changes lives

The ophthalmic treatments and procedures available at Mediclinic can improve your quality of life by restoring or correcting your vision.

“Cataract surgery in particular is life-changing, especially for someone who has mature, hard cataracts,” says Dr Zondi. “We have some patients coming in from rural areas who are not able to see clearly at all. That’s when we really see the difference we can make as ophthalmologists. It’s an almost immediate type of change. I had a patient recently from Nqutu who had dense cataracts for a long time. After the operation, seeing the joy on her face at being able to see me and the colours and the brightness… it is very rewarding being able to make that change in someone’s life.”

To find an ophthalmologist at your nearest Mediclinic, go to www.mediclinic.co.za

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