Let there by light

During my recent trip to Kuala Lumpur for dental work, I checked out the services on offer in regards to eye care. To say it was an ‘eye-opener’ would be far too cheesy…but it truly was. As a background for those who missed the initial story, I’d been quoted close to NZ$4,000 for dental work in New Zealand, and ended up with a week in Malaysia plus the work for less – even with my shopping spree, I didn’t spend the equivalent!

The Malaysian Government has long recognised the role of medical tourism and a minister from the Prime Minister’s office recently pointed out that “Malaysia will continue to strengthen its medical standards and quality of health care”. Malaysia offers high quality care at an affordable cost with expertise in Lasik, cosmetic surgery, IVFs, full body scans as well as dentistry. There is transparency in medical costs and, most importantly for offshore visitors, stringent quality control by the Malaysian Government.

My visits to just a few of the clinics specialising in cosmetic, Lasik and dental surgery resulted in an impression of efficiency yet warmth, clean and clinical facilities, highly qualified practitioners, and a fantastic command of English.

The International Specialist Eye Centre (ISEC) provides a full range of tertiary speciality services in ophthalmology, ranging from sophisticated laser eye surgery (LASIK) to the most complex vitreoretinal, orbital reconstruction and complex corneal transplantation surgeries.

More than 5,000 major eye operations are performed here each year, with a large number of patients travelling from offshore to seek consultations and services.

As I was to learn during my visit, the first step with LASIK is to create a thin corneal flap; this reveals the tissue that will be reshaped to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Two methods are used to create the flap – a metal blade or laser.