My stay in Istanbul for laser eye surgery – report from Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Experience report by Jorge Ferreira My stay in Istanbul from 5 April to 8 April 2012 I had been considering laser eye surgery for some time, but for cost reasons I had always decided against it. In the autumn of last year, I came across Swisslasik. I gathered more information about Swisslasik, read the experience reports and the article in Puls Magazine. The experience reports gave me confidence and I told myself: now or never! After a brief email exchange, I received a pre-examination appointment in Arbon, where it was confirmed that my eyes were suitable. On 5 April, my wife and I flew to Istanbul. We flew with Pegasus Airlines and landed at around 6 pm on the Asian side of Istanbul. Unfortunately, there were problems at immigration. As EU citizens, we required a visa, which we were able to obtain afterward for 15 EUR. The driver was already waiting for us at the airport. He greeted us politely but did not speak a word to us during the entire ride. The journey took about an hour due to traffic. When he dropped us off, he explained in English that we would be picked up the next morning at 7 am instead of 8 am. We stayed at the Park City Hotel. The hotel is located on a quiet street in a pedestrian zone, which we really liked. There are many restaurants and cafés in this area. The room was very small but clean. The hotel staff were very friendly. A negative point for the hotel was the noise transmission between rooms. After unpacking, we went outside to find a restaurant. The food was excellent. The Ottoman cuisine is simply wonderful. I can recommend the restaurant Hanci Baba. If you walk from the hotel to Taksim Square, you pass right by this restaurant. The staff speak very good German and are very friendly. The next morning, a hospital staff member picked us up very punctually. The ride took about 15 minutes to the hospital. Upon arrival, we had to wait about 20 minutes until another group arrived. Our contact person at the hospital was very friendly and spoke excellent German. He took very good care of us. After the pre-examinations, we had three hours and could eat in the cafeteria. Then we had to sign a consent form and received instructions for the eye drops. Afterwards, we were prepared for the surgery and our coordinator was also present during the procedure, which reassured me as my English was not very good. After the surgery, we were driven back to the hotel, where I took a short nap because my eyes burned intensely and I could not keep them open. After four hours, the burning subsided and I was able to open my eyes again. Jorge Ferreira, Frasnacht
