A dear Award Expert client and friend sent me a frantic What’sApp message yesterday:
Help! My husband has a detached retina and we are in the middle of the sea. We won’t reach Antarctica for three days. The doctor onboard is saying we need to get to Punta Arenas for treatment. The ship will try to reach King George Island late on 12/23 or early on 12/24 for military aircraft to Punta Arenas. What do you suggest? It seems the doctors are better in Santiago. My son found a doctor there.
I’m not a medical expert, just a flight expert. Still, I want to give her good advice. My first thought was medivac from the ship: every hour that detached retina remains detached represents a risk of further, permanent damage. My dear grandmother suffered from retina problems and the first time she experienced discomfort ignored it for a couple days and lost vision in one of her eyes. Thus, time is of the essence. But that idea won’t work because the ship is too small.
To be honest, I had never heard of King George Island before last night. It is the largest of the South Shetland Islands and does have permanent inhabitants plus an airstrip. This will be an unplanned stop on the Antarctic cruise, but does appear like the quickest way to get help.
My clients do have travel insurance via Travelex, though money is not exactly an obstacle. From Punta Arenas I can get them up to Santiago on several daily direct flights or home to New York if necessary.
I know this isn’t directly a points/miles post, but it does involve travel and I thought I would put it out to my incredible readers who may be able to offer guidance. What would you do in this situation?
CONCLUSION
We take our eyesight for granted, often failing to consider how precious it is. The thought of my client losing his eyesight make me shudder and I want to do everything I can, even though they are halfway between South American and Antarctica, to help.
Any insight is appreciated!
Depending how far they are away from mainland, is evacuation via a Helo & Litter (rescue basket) not an option? People are evacuated from much smaller boats all the time.
23/24 is a long time to wait to even begin the journey to medical help
http://www.dapairline.com- d/b/a Antarctic Airlines
I didn’t look very closely at the website – it might just be charter, logistics, etc. Apparently medical diversions to King George Island on these cruises is (somewhat) common. If they are UK nationals with access to the NHS they *might* (and I really stress *might*) be able to use the facilities in Stanley/RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands. Unfortunately, the LATAM flight to MPN is a Saturday ONLY turn around. Otherwise, I would suggest from PUQ they use facilities in either SCL or MVD. There’s good non-stop service to SCL on LATAM.
If it isn’t an overly complicated surgery, then it’s best to have it done ASAP. When can doctors see him in both places? Will the pressurization from additional flights cause any further damage?
Does they have AMEX Platinum? They have a medical evac service. Think it works even if you didn’t pay for trip on AMEX card. Info here – https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/features-benefits/policies/global-assist-hotline/faq.html#9
I’m not a doctor but will share what I’ve been told by my own opthamologist — who knows I travel a lot — about what to do if I begin to have symptoms of a detached retina.
He told me that wherever I am, go to the nearest opthamologist. He said its a super simple procedure and that it can be done pretty much anywhere with simple equipment if caught early. Chile is a first world OECD country and I would be surprised if this couldn’t be handled locally even in small cities. I don’t think you want to fly before treatment if you don’t have to.
As some have pointed out, a detached retina is an extremely serious situation, and it can easily result in permanent blindness very quickly. The terrible rub is that a large percentage of people over 50 will eventually have a vitreous detachment in both eyes, and this is not a serious situation, but it presents much like the serious detached retina. Because you don’t know which it is you must have it checked immediately. When an eye has a bunch of new floaters, or light streaks, or a “curtain” appearing thing start, it might be vitreous or retina, but either way it should be checked immediately. My right eye had a vitreous detachment at age 61 and my left eye a year later. In each case I was at the doctor within 24 hours, and it was a quick and easy look-see by him to determine if it was vitreous or retina. Fortunately each was just a vitreous detachment.
IANAD, but as Mak said I wouldn’t be all that concerned about obtaining seeing an eye doctor in Puntas Arenas. Chile’s medical facilities generally are decent, and Puntas Arenas caters to foreign tourists. I’d be confident you could find someone qualified. If you’re client’s trip insurance policy covers Med-Evac, it might be worth calling the insurance company to see if a helicopter out to the ship to take him to Puntas Arenas is a possibility.
I would be hesitant to hop on an airplane before treatment, though. I wouldn’t want to take the chance that the pressurization, etc. might cause more problems.
True medical emergency like stated above. Any reputable opthalmologist will do
If the guy has a retinal detachment, it is possible that Punta Arenas is not enough. The population of Punta Arenas is 124,000 according to the internet. If that is comparable to a US city, which it may or may not be, the city lacks certain specialists.
Funny, I know of someone that had an eye emergency on an Antarctic cruise but that was a different person because that person was a woman (unless the man in the story had a sex change operation)
Fly the Dr to the Ship,.. is faster and if it is a simple procedure, maybe can be done on board … God bless
They should contact International SOS which is an experienced medical/crisis evacuation company. They are excellent at evaluating and evacuating patients needing emergency care.
At my company we use them often. Not at all cheap , but effective.
I’m not sure flying with a detached retina is a good idea…….
Flying is not ideal, but not severely dangerous.
If you need this kind of procedure, Santiago or Buenos Aires is where you want to be.
You do not need “a Doctor.” You need a Retina Specialist, and a facility with the right equipment and resources.
Having said that, I realize I would be dumbfounded in this situation, as each location has specific transportation needs and resources for these kinds of emergencies,
Prayers for a the best outcome possible. Bless you for your compassion and concern.
Having been to Antarctica, I think the ship’s plan is the right one. For the folks talking about helicopters: these are generally a bad idea in the area where the ship was located. It’s extremely dangerous to attempt any sort of helicopter evacuation in the Drake Passage given the weather there, and most helicopters lack the range to cover the fast distances required.
King George Island is the closest place to get help, and is the right place for the ship to go. At AwardCat, we always recommend that our award booking clients carry travel insurance and recommend travel insurance policies serviced by International SOS. This is crucial: International SOS has facilities worldwide and is expert at coordinating medical evacuations from very challenging areas. You’ll get the same level of service as a Fortune 500 executive (many Fortune 500 companies have International SOS on retainer).
We send our clients to AAA to buy travel insurance even though we could make a commission selling travel insurance policies. This is because AAA policies are comprehensive, the agents are knowledgeable, and if clients need to make a claim, they have AAA standing behind you.
As for where to have the surgery, I’d simply leave that in the hands of International SOS. They will fly a qualified eye surgeon to you if necessary; this is the level of service they provide.