Anyone had any experience of eye surgery here in Penang? Laser correction, cataract removal, lens implant. Also looking for a good place to go for an initial examination.

Just checking out options at the moment but I need to do something in the next year or so.

Cheers, IVV

Hello IVV,
I had a cataract removal (lens replacement) done about 1.5 years ago at Adventist hospital eye clinic by Dr Leow.
The operation went well, resulting also in my nearsightedness being reduced from -6.5 to -1.5 on that eye.
So I will do the other as well as it causes some problems when trying to read without glasses and I notice that the white walls in our room are more yellowish when looking with the untreated eye. Which indicates that there also are some catarcts there.

The total price including full narcose was around 3kMYR. Price w/o it would be 5-700 less.
In my case the doctor wanted to give a full narcose because I earlier had a retina problem in that eye and he needed absolute stillness.
(At least thats what he said)

Anyway, it went very well, Dr Leow comes across as a very skilled specialist and I can recommend him.

Thanks for that info Gunner, really useful. I would much rather be asleep for an op on my eyes. I assume they prefer to do one at a time?

Yes, and I think you should perefer doing one at a time as well.
This be sure that you have fully recovered from the first operation before going for the second one.
As for full sedation or not, the (very) irritating part is the strong light they aim right into your eye, so I guess the doctor also finds it comfortable to not have a squirming patient.

As for injections etc, it may sound gross to get a needle stuck in the eyeball, but I can assure you that you won't feel a thing when thay do it. (Even before being put to sleep)


By the way, the doctor advised me to not wait too long with removing a cataract as the lens hardens with time. which makes it more difficult to remove.


The old lens is removed by the doctor making a small incision in the eye and then inserting a vibrating tip which disintegrates the old lens into small pieces which then are sucked out of the eye.
The new lens is folded up inside a litttle tube and 'injected' through the incison to unfold when inside the eyeglobe. This new lens is tailored to have the desired strength.
In my case I preferred a little remaining nearsightedness as am used to wearing glasses since childhood and enjoy reading w/o glasses.

They will stick a needle in my eye while I'm still awake

Hi IVV. Obviously, I can't help with local knowledge, but I had both eyes done, a month apart, here in Canada in 2013. No general anaesthesia. No problem, you don't feel a thing and the bright lights are very "Lucy in the sky with diamonds".

I don't know if they're available where you are, but I have multi-focal implants manufactured by Restor. They are fresnel lenses and mean you won't need glasses at all afterwards. I'd recommend asking if they're a possibility for you.

Hi Novo, nice to see you on the Malaysian board!

I already have multi-focal glasses so I guess I would need a multi-focal implant too. Do you find your vision is perfect, or at least as good as it was with glasses on?

Not quite perfect. 20/20 in the right eye, 20/40 in the left.

One word of warning, you'll always need to wear sunglasses when driving in bright sunlight after the Op.

OK, two words of warning your reading ability at low light levels (think menus in restaurants) won't be good. I carry an LED on my keyring these days.

That's interesting, why is your right eye only 20/40? Was it that way before the op?

I already find reading restaurant menus difficult in low light conditions. I take the wife but maybe a LED would be cheaper

Yea, but you never know what she'll order.

As to the 20/40, it was of course much worse before, hence the need for a lens transplant. I had the best guy in Toronto do the work, but I guess nobody's perfect.

Have a friend who used Dr Jonathan Choon at Gleneagles Penang for cataracts (both eyes) and he was very pleased with the procedure and results.

But Gunnar's recommendation sounds great. Maybe try him first for consultation. The parking at Adventist has been limited for a while, while the new oncology building has been built. I think that is due to open shortly so should open up more car parking spaces, which are very much needed. Anyway, can always park up across the road at Midlands.

We have also seen Dr Choon at Gleneagles for other eye problems but the Eye Klinik at Gleneagles really is a mess. OK, all hospitals you have to hang about. But the Eye Klinik at Gleneagles wins top award hands down. Typically a one hour wait is usual, despite having an appointment.

Yes.

You're enjoying this aren't you

Hi IVV, I've also had reflective lens replacement. In my case they lenses are effectively bi-focal rather than multi-focal. This works well for distance viewing and for reading but is not so good for working with a computer but I just pop a cheap pair of reading glasses on for that and it is fine. I also find that it is harder to get a good focus in dim light but it has to be pretty dark before I can't read a menu.

As for the op, don't worry you will not feel a thing, really. The light is nothing to worry about either and they should pre-med you with something to help you relax. Definitely get one eye done at a time, 2 weeks apart should be fine, because you will have to wear a patch for a day until the surgeon has seen you. The main thing to be aware of is that the new lens sometimes doesn't settle in exactly the right place so make sure that your procedure includes laser correction if required.

I ended up with slightly better than 20/20 vision in one eye and 20/20 in the other. Not quite as good as it used to be with varifocal glasses but a hell of a lot more convenient.

Good luck with the op. And do take care and use the drops they give you. The biggest risk is eye infection and that is obviously higher in warmer climates.