Experience report: Laser eye surgery in Istanbul – Report from Thursday, April 24, 2008

Experience report: Laser eye surgery in Istanbul

At around the age of 22, I got glasses to help me see when driving. At first, I only needed to wear them when driving or at the cinema. I didn’t need them for the rest of the day. Over time, my eyesight deteriorated and I wore glasses all day long. Since glasses got in the way during some sports (e.g., swimming or jogging), I decided to switch to monthly contact lenses. With monthly contact lenses, I felt freer and less restricted. It was a new feeling. But even with monthly lenses, there were still unpleasant situations from time to time. But what could I do? Since I no longer wanted to wear glasses for cosmetic reasons, I had to get through it somehow. Then, about three years ago, advertisements for laser eye surgery started appearing everywhere in various magazines. I always read everything very carefully and was very interested in it. A good friend then told me about his experience with laser eye surgery in Bern and informed me about everything, including that I would have to expect costs of around 8,000 Swiss francs. But until then, it was time to SAVE.

Then, by chance, on June 25, 2007, I saw a documentary about laser eye surgery in Istanbul on the Swiss television program PULS. That’s how I came across the website www.Swisslasik.ch. After much deliberation, I decided at the end of September to sign up for a preliminary examination in Zurich. It turned out that surgery would not be a problem for me. In addition to the actual diagnostic tests, the ophthalmologist also informed me about the advantages and disadvantages of laser surgery. After the examination in Zurich, I was still not entirely convinced. Even among my friends and acquaintances, I didn’t hear any good arguments other than “What, laser eye surgery in Istanbul? Are you out of your mind? That’s far too dangerous!” I read the testimonials on the Swisslasik forum over and over again. And with each convincing report, my decision became clearer: it was now or never. At the beginning of January 2008, I contacted Mr. Karaagacli and informed him that I would like to have laser eye surgery in Istanbul on March 31, 2008. Mr. Karaagacli organized the flight, the hotel (Taskim Gönen), and the registration for the surgery. Everything was organized perfectly. At the beginning of March, I received my personalized Swisslasik passport with all the necessary and useful information for my stay in Istanbul. Many thanks to Mr. Karaagacli for his quick and friendly emails and for the excellent organization.

So on Sunday, March 30, 2008, I flew to Istanbul with my husband. Mr. Cayli picked us up at the airport and drove us to the hotel. He spoke fluent German and spent the 25-minute drive telling us about the EyeStar eye clinic and the surgical procedure. Since the surgery was scheduled for Monday, we had Sunday afternoon free and explored the streets around Taksim Square. The next morning, March 31, 2008, Fred picked us up from the hotel at 11:00 a.m. It was only about 200 meters to the eye clinic on foot. On the way there, we were joined by two other ladies from Germany who, like me, had scheduled their surgery for that Monday. We received a friendly and warm welcome at the clinic. First, we enjoyed a cup of coffee, and then our eyes were thoroughly examined. This was followed by a lunch break, and in the afternoon, at around 3:30 p.m., it was time. I was given a green gown and a hair cap to wear, then I took a seat in a massage chair, where Mr. Cayli disinfected my eyes and spoke to me in a soothing voice.

Then it was off to the operating room for the laser treatment. Every step was documented in English by the ophthalmologist, and Mr. Fred translated all the instructions for me into German. When the eye patch and the small device for fixing the eyes in place were put on, I felt an unpleasant pressure. Otherwise, everything went smoothly. Both eyes were operated on one after the other.

About 10 minutes after the operation, my husband accompanied me back to the hotel. My eyes were watering a little, but I didn’t feel any pain. Now it was time to sleep, put eye drops in my eyes every hour, and just sleep, sleep…

The next morning, I already had full vision and no discomfort whatsoever. The ophthalmologist also confirmed during the follow-up examination that morning that I had already achieved 100% vision. What a great feeling—full vision, no discomfort or pain, no tearing or burning—all just one day after the surgery. Unbelievable.

The rest of the day was free, so we had time to visit the sights of Istanbul before flying back to Switzerland the following day.

Looking back, I can say with a clear conscience that it was definitely worth making the trip to Istanbul. Everything was very well organized, and everyone at the eye clinic was friendly, helpful, and competent. A life without visual aids can begin…

Salzmann Ingrid, Baltschieder, April 20, 2008