Cataract Surgery

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Ken

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I'm scheduled for cataract removal in November. One eye next week and the other eye the following week. Since there has been interest in the past in details regarding medical procedures:

1. The surgeon is Dr. Carlino Gonzalez, one of the top eye specialists in the DR. He and 4 other eye specialists make up the Unidad Oftalmologica of the Instituto de Cirucia Especializada on Ave. Bolivar. Each of these doctors specializes in a particulara procedure on the eye. Dr. Gonzalez is the cataract specialist. Every Wednesday morning he does a number of cataract removals.

2. The lens he will be using is state of the art, a new generation than was used on my wife a couple of years ago. He was attending a conference for eye specialists in Chicago most of last week and told me the lenses he will put in my eyes are the same as the US doctors are now using.

3. Current price per eye is US$1,350. Because my insurance is in the US, I'll pay the bill and file a claim for reimbursement.
 

Ken

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Just got an email from a poster with questions about the operation that reminded me that I should update this.

First eye done on November 2 and second on the 9th. Both eyes aren't done the same day, if you have cataracts on both eyes, but the second can be done the following week.

The surgery done in a very professional, fully equipped operating room. Present heside Dr. Gonzalez was an anesthesiologist, and 2 nurses that work only in eye surgery. Both Dr. Gozalez and the anesthesiologist speak fluent English and at least one of the nurses speaks passable English.

Dr. Gonzalez does cataract surgery on Wednesday morning. Usually he has about 10 patients scheduled. Operation takes about 30 minutes and you are awake whole time. You feel some pressure on eye occasionally, but he tells you when to expect it. Don't feel anything else. You can listen to the music, here the team talk, and talk yourself. I was mostly engrossed in watching what seemed to be red clouds floating around.

For the operation, your entire body is covered, Only the eye is exposed.

After the operation, Dr. tells you to rest the remainder of the day. I did, but also walked to a restaurant for supper. You can watch tv, read, etc. The next day he checks the eye, and if Santo Domingo, the following day as well. However, he said I could go back to Sosua.

Tuesday the 8th, he checked first eye and on the 9th did the second eye. On the 10th he checked second eye. On 15th he checked both eyes and will do so again on the 29th.

As mentioned in first post, current price is US$1,350/eye.

I highly recommend Dr. Gonzalez to anybody needing cataract surgery
 

sunshine_79

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Good luck with your surgery Ken.

Do you happen to know if this Dr or any of his associates also do Lasik or PRK?
 

Ken

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sunshine_79 said:
Good luck with your surgery Ken.

Do you happen to know if this Dr or any of his associates also do Lasik or PRK?

Thanks, but surgery already successful on both eyes.

Dr. Gonzalez also does Laser surgery. He is part of a group of 5, with each specializing in different eye procedures. Between them, i think they do any kind of procedure that anyone might want.

For more details, I recommend that you communicate by email with Rosanna Rodriguez at dr.carlino@verizon.net.do She works with all the doctors and can tell you what procedures are available, who does them, approximate cost, etc. She is fluent in English. If you want, you can say that Ken De Pree suggested you contact her.

With respect to cataract surgery, I should mention that before you are scheduled for the operation the doctor needs a report from a doctor who specializes in measuring the eye and advising the surgeon which lens to use, the results of a couple of blood tests, and an ok from a cardiologist to do surgery on you. If you have had the blood tests and/or seen a cardiologist within, I believe, 3 months of the surgery, those reports are accepted. The eye measuring can be done in Santo Domingo. No advance apointment needed. Go with your prescription from Dr. Gonzalez, have the test done, and they will send the report to him if you don't want to go back to pick it up.

The eye measuring costs aoout RD$3,000
 

Eddyx

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sunshine_79 said:
Good luck with your surgery Ken.

Do you happen to know if this Dr or any of his associates also do Lasik or PRK?


I could recommend you also to Dr. Arnaldo Espaillat for Lasik surgery. He did it to me in January 2001, and everything still been right. He is in the Instituto Espaillat Cabral, on Independence Ave., behind Malecon Center. He has his own equiptments for this. www.espaillatcabral.com
 
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