Earlier this month, one of San José, Costa Rica’s main public hospitals, the México Hospital, installed new modern ophthalmological units, in addition to other equipment.

The Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) which runs the state medical system, said an estimated 20,000 patients per year will benefit from the upgrade to the latest technologies for eye procedures and exams.

The over US$272,000 investment (¢150 million colones) will allow for better patient care, said Rafael García Sáenz, head of the hospital’s ophthalmology department.

The new ophthalmologic units allow for thorough ophthalmologic examinations that test visual acuity, measure intraocular pressure, and the interior of the eye, among other things, in order make diagnoses and define appropriate treatments, said García Sáenz.

A Cross Linking machine was also acquired – this allows the cornea to harden without the need for surgery. This will aid to prevent in the majority of cases the progression of keratoconus, thus avoiding the need for a corneal transplants in patients in the future.

Another acquisition was of a YAG laser used to treat glaucoma and secondary cataracts. The laser means patients can avoid surgery and have a reduced treatment time. Another type of laser acquired was an Argon laser that can treat other eye diseases at the level of the retina such as diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, occlusions of the vein and central artery of the retina, among others.

It also served two pieces of equipment: an Autorefractor Keratometer and a Biometer. The first one determines the refraction and keratometry of each patient seen in outpatient care, the refraction allows for determining the need for eyeglasses and the keratometry determines the power of the intraocular lens in the cataract surgery. The biometer helps to determine the lens most appropriate for patients needing eye microsurgery.