Save $2,500 on Eye Surgery in Panama

Friday, Nov. 23, 2007

Read more about Panama in International Living Postcards--your daily escape

I’m not a young man, but I didn’t think I was old enough to have cataracts. However, the verdict of my eye exam was clear…much clearer than my eyesight, in fact. Looking through my natural lenses was like looking through cheesecloth.

When I realized I was having vision problems in Panama last year, I started doing research. I figured I had lens problems, but implants hadn’t occurred to me until I discovered multi-focal lens implants…little wonders of modern medicine that completely replace your natural lenses. These new versions, unlike older replacements for cataract-clouded natural lenses, provide correction for both near and distance vision.

Once I decided on multi-focal lens implants, I feared I’d have to go back to the U.S. A little more digging on the Internet, however, turned up Dr. Orillac…right in Panama City. When I approached him about doing the implants for me, Dr. Orillac (whose English is perfect) first examined me thoroughly to determine if I actually needed them. My suspicions that I had cataracts were correct, and Dr. Orillac said I was a good candidate for multi-focal lens implants. Next, he ran me through the specifics (the faint of heart--and anyone about to eat--may want to skip over the next paragraph).

In the old days of cataract surgery, a large flap was cut in the cornea to expose and remove old lenses and insert new ones. However, the new multi-focal procedure involves just a tiny nick in a corner of the cornea. An ultrasonic probe is inserted into the nick, and the old lens is liquefied with sound wave, then sucked out with a tiny suction tube. The new multi-focal lens is curled into a cylinder and introduced into the eye through a tiny tube. The new lens is literally injected into the space where the old lens used to be. It unfurls in the space and centers itself with a pair of spring-like "arms" that keep it constantly in proper alignment and position. Sounded good to me.

“When would you like to do it?” Dr. Orillac asked. I was used to the way medical procedures are scheduled in the U.S., so I suggested sometime before the next presidential elections. That’s when he gave me my first surprise. “We operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” he said. “Can you be ready to do the first eye next Tuesday? We can do the other one a week later.”

I was a little startled, but I said OK. Might as well get 'er done. Then I asked how much it would cost. “It will be $2,500 per eye.”

That surprise nearly knocked me out of the exam chair. It’s hard to put a price on being able to see, but $5,000 is a lot of money. I’d heard that offshore medical care was inexpensive…I figured the Good Doctor had seen a rich gringo coming and saw it as a chance to have that new swimming pool put in.

I have to admit, I was a little terse with him when I said I'd think about it. I went home and started looking up prices for the same procedure in the U.S., thinking I might find a better deal. I quickly found that $5,000 was the going rate in the States…for one eye.

I called Dr. Orillac and scheduled the procedure. During my pre-surgical screenings, I was surprised to find that many advanced eye procedures were pioneered or perfected in Panama. In fact, Dr. Orillac says that U.S. eye surgeons commonly trained in Panama on Laser and Lasik corrective procedures before the procedures were approved in the U.S.

As for the procedure itself--I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a pleasant experience (nothing anyone does to your eyes is ever pleasant), but I will say that it was much, much easier than I’d feared. Dr. Orillac has the hands of…well, of a surgeon, and his manner throughout both implants was impeccably cheerful and professional. The outcomes for both eyes were excellent.

Dan Prescher
For International Living

P.S. Eye surgery isn’t the only medical service I’ve had outside the U.S. I had a torn rotator cuff repaired in Quito, Ecuador (by a surgeon who trained in Texas with the leading U.S. authority in the procedure). I also had a root canal and molar reconstruction in Queretaro, Mexico (by a dentist whose Ohio State University degree was proudly displayed on his wall). I used to be apprehensive about offshore medical care, but I’m pretty certain now that any medical or dental procedure, with a little shopping around, can be performed just as well (or better)--and for significantly less--outside the U.S. as in.

Editor’s note: Dan’s medical adventures in Panama…$80,000 houses on the Caribbean island three hours from Panama City…how to phone home free from Panama…and much more…are in the current issue of Panama Insider.

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