“According to the station and political situation”
In March, many vision correction clinics were faced with the fact that suppliers of imported equipment and components raised prices after the rising euro exchange rate, Natalya Koval, an eye surgeon at the Ya See Center for Eye Microsurgery, told socialbites.ca.
“Our clinic has increased prices twice since March. We cannot use analogues, we have to adapt to changing conditions and prices. Now we have to increase the cost of these services, which depend on the unstable exchange rate,” says the doctor.
According to him, today some technologies are implemented only by certain foreign firms and there is no alternative to them. For example, the VisuMax femtosecond laser is only provided by the German company Carl Zeiss Meditec. And only this company has a patent for ReLEx SMILE technology, which is today considered the most accurate, safe and fastest among other methods.
“Furthermore, each operation requires a separate license and a set of disposable consumables that the clinic purchases only from the manufacturer of certain devices for each patient,” Koval says.
Ophthalmologist, professor, doctor of medical sciences, and Dr. Tatyana Shilova, Shilova’s chief physician, says that the manufacturing countries, Germany, the United States, France and Italy, respectively, are currently suspending work on shipments of equipment and medical supplies. ophthalmology clinic. A separate problem with the maintenance and repair of high-tech equipment: spare parts and components are produced mainly in Germany and the USA.
“Prices in our clinic are kept at the same level as before February. But I’m a surgeon who operates on about 6,000 patients a year, and for multi-surgery surgeons, distributors usually keep supplies in stock for six months, so there’s absolutely no interruption in supply. “Prices are rising for doctors whose number of surgeries are more modest and will continue to rise depending on the trend and the political situation,” he said.
Today, the prices of laser vision correction operations have increased by 5-10% on average, and the demand of patients has increased by only 15%.
Professor Tatyana Shilova associates the increased interest in operations not only with the cost of the exchange rate and the possibility of price increases, but also with the restrictions and fears of the Russians to cut everything related to foreign supply in the future.
Eye surgeon Natalya Koval notes a steady flow of patients, even against the backdrop of sanctions and rising prices.
“There are no less patients. Laser vision correction is a popular procedure, and the ability to get rid of glasses and contact lenses outweighs other factors,” says the doctor.
Is import substitution possible?
Ophthalmologist Shilova argues that despite the fact that the shipment of licenses to carry out operations and many materials has been suspended, the situation is not yet in danger of worsening.
“I am Carl Zeiss’s reference doctor, and company representatives promised us that supply would not be suspended and that clinics operating on their equipment would continue to operate without interruption,” the doctor said.
Also, according to him, manufacturers from other countries are indifferent. And the medical community just hopes that the sanctions won’t affect medicine. At the same time, despite positive forecasts, no one can guarantee the stability of the current situation, and even the medical community and manufacturers, Dr. Says the head physician of Shilova’s clinic.
If the situation still gets worse and deliveries to Russia stop, the doctors’ job will become much more complicated.
“There are unique technologies that manufacturers from different countries have been trying to replicate for decades, the equipment is at least close to the original, if not the same. And they fail. “Even with ophthalmologists, huge budgets and technological capabilities,” he says.
According to him, if for ten years high-budget companies have not been able to create a competitive product, rapid import substitution should certainly not be expected. However, it is useless to purchase equipment from a third country for use in Russian clinics, because all manufacturers control the end user.
“But now it’s better not to think about it. Clinics continue to work, operations can be performed due to stocks of consumables. It remains to hope that the situation will not worsen. But still, doctors will find a way out, ”says Tatyana Shilova.
Laser vision correction: what is the procedure
Tamara Shalbaeva, ophthalmologist at the Tunkinskaya Central Regional Hospital and Honored Doctor of the Republic of Buryatia, says that laser correction is a method of influencing and correcting the shape of the cornea, allowing you to correct its inaccuracies.
The most common types of laser vision correction are:
1. PRK – photorefractive keratectomy, which involves exposure to the outer surface of the cornea, when laser radiation does not affect the condition of other structures of the eye. The disadvantages of surgery are long-term rehabilitation and the inability to restore vision in both eyes simultaneously during the procedure.
2. LASIK – laser keratomileusis. The technique involves protecting the cornea by removing the outer layers during the intervention and laser exposure to the inner layers. With the LASIK method, both eyes can be operated in one operation and the rehabilitation period will be shorter. Also, the procedure is painless.
3. ReLEx SMILE – a new generation technique that involves removing part of the cornea with a small incision of 2-4 mm (in some other methods the incision reaches 20 mm). The advantage of the technique is that the operation is very fast (laser exposure takes only 25 seconds) and painless, and rehabilitation takes only one day. The maximum number is two.
Shalbaeva notes that an ophthalmologist will help you determine the best correction option. But there are general contraindications: under 18 years old and over 45 years old, thin cornea, diabetes mellitus, progressive visual impairment.
“Often, SMAIL or LASIK is prescribed for mild to moderate vision problems. With the obvious, procedures using the PRK method, ”says the ophthalmologist.
Natalya Koval, Doctor of the Eye Microsurgery Center, adds that the perfection of the techniques today allows correction in situations that were previously impossible.
“A few months ago I operated on a patient with cerebral palsy – the girl dreamed of gaining good vision and not experiencing visual discomfort. The operation was fraught with risks, the patient had to apply general anesthesia due to his inability to focus his eyes, but everything went well and the result was even better than we expected, ”says the doctor.