Experience report: eye surgery in Istanbul via Swisslasik – report from Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Since I was 11 years old, I constantly had to carry glasses with me. I found contact lenses very annoying and simply too expensive. As I play a lot of sports and lead an active lifestyle, laser eye surgery increasingly became an option for me. When I was 20 and got hit in the face by a football, my glasses shattered, and I ended up in the hospital where they had to remove several shards. That made it clear to me that I wanted to have my eyes lasered. I then had a preliminary examination to make sure I was really suitable for the procedure. The examination was quick and smooth, and after a positive result, I registered for surgery in Istanbul with Mr Karaagacli. Five weeks later, I was already on a plane to the Bosporus. I took my father as a companion because he had long wanted to visit Istanbul, and the offered package (flight and hotel) seemed affordable to him.
Upon arriving in Turkey, we waited for our chauffeur, who was stuck in traffic. Since we had been warned about possible delays in advance, we remained completely relaxed. Safely delivered to the hotel, we prepared everything for the operation day and went for a short walk. The hotel (Levent) far exceeded our expectations. Everything was very clean, and the staff were always friendly and helpful.
A little nervous, we were picked up punctually from the hotel on the day of the operation and driven to the hospital. There, we were greeted by a German-speaking coordinator who explained the procedure and the next steps. In the late afternoon, it was finally time. Another laser eye patient and I were taken to a waiting room, where the coordinator explained the exact use of the eye drops. We both had to put on covers and caps for our heads and feet. The assistant doctor administered more eye drops (I have no idea what they did). While waiting outside the door, I could hear my predecessor being operated on, which made me quite nervous. I heard the interpreter giving instructions: “Please look down” or “Keep your head completely still and look into the red light.” A few minutes later he said, “Mr XY, everything went perfectly. You can stand up now.”
Then it was my turn… Summoning all my courage, I lay down on the table and was moved into the machine. The doctor and her assistants stood behind me. My only task was to look at a red light. Ten to fifteen minutes later, it was all over and completely painless. Everything had gone perfectly for me as well. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders… On the way back to the hotel, my eyes were watering heavily. I could hardly open them because everything was very bright. I lay down for three hours (highly recommended), used my eye drops, and let my eyes rest a little. In the evening, the miracle happened. Full vision! The tearing subsided, and I was already able to keep my eyes open for a few minutes at a time. The next morning, I noticed absolutely nothing. Out of sheer habit, I even reached for my glasses upon waking… That same day, we had time to explore the city extensively, and all without any visual aids! A wonderful feeling. We took a boat trip, visited the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and Istiklal Street. A thoroughly successful trip with beautiful souvenir photos. I would like to sincerely thank Swisslasik and personally Mr Karaagacli for the excellent service. Oliver Isenschmid, 18 June 2013