The Dr. Newton da Costa Brandão Municipal Hospital Center (CHM), in Santo André, began carrying out ophthalmological cataract surgeries on Saturday (4). The measure aims to absorb part of the municipality’s demand.
The Santo André Health Department began providing care at CHM with surgery on 20 patients. The expectation is that the procedures will be carried out, initially, on Saturdays, with the possibility of expanding the schedules.
“We started this action to improve the quality of life of our people, allowing these people to see normally again and receive adequate treatment within this new management model that we implemented to speed up care and eliminate queues”, highlighted Mayor Paulo Serra .
Until reaching the last stage of the process, which is surgery, the citizen is initially attended to by the municipality’s primary care network and, subsequently, referred to the ophthalmologist, at Poupatempo da Saúde, located inside Atrium Shopping. From then on, if surgery is indicated by the specialist doctor, pre-operative exams are carried out and the surgery date is scheduled.
Gilmar Perencin, 67 years old, one of the first people treated this Saturday, highlighted the speed of service and how this procedure filled him with hope. “From the moment I discovered the cataract until my referral, I received very good care. Now I am calmer, I will be able to recover my ability to see and life goes on”, he commented.
Cataracts are the most blinding disease in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the main causes is aging, which causes eye damage that leaves the lens of the eye opaque. The only possible treatment in these cases is surgery.
Cataract surgery is quick, does not cause sequelae and is performed using local anesthesia. On this occasion, the surgeon replaces the damaged lens and inserts an artificial lens, which will restore the lost function of vision.
In the hospital, before eye surgery, eye drops are used to dilate the pupil. As the procedures are quick, operated patients are discharged on the same day, with the recommendation to use antibiotic and corticosteroid-based eye drops at home during the post-surgery period.
In addition to starting cataract surgeries at CHM, something historic in the city, part of the demand will continue to be absorbed by the University Center of the Faculty of Medicine of ABC (FMABC).
Photo: Helber Aggio – PSA
