My adventurous laser eye treatment in Istanbul – report from Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Since I was nearly blind with -5.75 in my right eye and -5.25 in my left, could no longer tolerate my contact lenses, and was inevitably dependent on the cumbersome glasses, laser surgery was the only solution for me. Unfortunately, I have very dry eyes. After just an hour with lenses, my eyes became bright red, and wearing glasses all the time was simply not an option. I have many friends who have had laser eye surgery, but most in Switzerland for a very high price, which was not an option for me. When a friend of my mother raved about Swisslasik and the entire procedure, it immediately became clear to me that I wanted to have my eyes lasered in Istanbul as soon as possible.
I immediately contacted Mr Karaagacli, and from that moment on everything moved very quickly, competently, smoothly, and extremely friendly. From A to Z, everything is very well organized—hotel, flight, pick-up service, surgery, return trip, follow-up… you just “close your eyes and go through it.” I would recommend the pre-examination in Switzerland, as it confirms that the eyes are suitable for surgery, allows you to ask questions, and reduces fear somewhat. Regarding fear, I was one of the patients who was terrified. I thought about the laser eye surgery day and night, saw only blind people everywhere, and had nightmares about my eyes. If I had known it would be so much less dramatic, I could have spared myself that month of horror before LASIK.
The day of departure arrived. I traveled with my partner. Fear was still stronger than excitement. The flight and transfer to the hotel went smoothly. Once in Istanbul, we spent the day shopping. In the evening, we went to bed early to be ready for LASIK the next day. The following day, we (my partner, I, and three others who were also having their eyes lasered) were picked up punctually by the driver. At the clinic, we were warmly welcomed by our translator, who explained everything to us. The pre-examinations went quickly, and the surgery was scheduled for midday. We even had time for a proper lunch before the procedure began. It helped a lot to not be the only patient having surgery that day; we were a good group, laughed a lot, and encouraged each other.
Before the procedure, we all took a sedative, which I recommend to everyone. When I was led into the operating room (always with my translator by my side), I panicked. I was probably not an easy patient, whining like a small child and clinging to my translator. Poor guy was exhausted afterward. I had scratches all over my body. Instead of the usual 10–15 minutes, I spent about 25 minutes in surgery because I made it difficult for the doctor, but she remained calm, patient, and professional. Everything was very clean and sterile.
The surgery itself is not bad at all—not pleasant, but you feel no pain and do not realize your eye is being worked on. In brief, my experience in those 25 minutes: an explosion of lights, first a red dot, some stars, then everything blurred, sometimes grayish, many small stars, the smell of burnt hair (which I actually liked), a little moisture from the drops, and then the whole magic was over. Afterwards, you are given protective glasses and led back to the waiting area. I first had to comfort my translator, who was exhausted. The sedative started working on me, making me very tired, and my eyes were so sore and watery I could not open them, as if I had cut an onion. The others also had smooth surgeries but were equally groggy from the sedative.
We were all driven back to the hotel. I lay down for four hours and fell asleep thanks to the sedative. When my partner woke me, I opened my glued-shut eyes for the first time since the surgery, and there it was—I could see! Although still a little blurred, everything was clear and sharp. A dream. That evening we went out to dinner with the other patients, without glasses—only the funny protective sunglasses. My right eye saw clearly, but the left was still not 100 percent, the one I had struggled with on the operating table. The next day, it had not improved. The doctor explained that the eye had been stressed because the surgery took longer on that side, and I needed patience.
Since I had previously suffered from very dry eyes, I still had issues after LASIK, especially with my left eye. Vision in my right eye improved steadily, while the left stayed worse, sometimes even temporarily worse—though still much better than before surgery, around 70 percent clarity. At the follow-up in Switzerland, the doctor confirmed I have very dry eyes. He prescribed eye drops and a nighttime ointment. I also drink more water now and installed a humidifier at my office.
My surgery was 3.5 weeks ago, and my vision continues to improve and sharpen. My left eye is slowly recovering (still about -0.5 myopia), which may take a few more weeks. For many of my friends, it took two months for everything to stabilize. I need a little more patience before I can see perfectly. Still, I cannot complain—I see very well. Any issues now are minor. LASIK was one of the best decisions of my life, which I can recommend to everyone. It was extremely well organized, very affordable, with a very high LASIK standard, combined with a shopping trip to Istanbul. It is an incredible gift to wake up every morning without impaired vision. I even catch myself sometimes reaching for my glasses on the nightstand. The time and money saved by no longer constantly buying lenses, eye drops, lens solution, frames, lenses, etc., is enormous. Therefore, a huge thank you again to Mr Karaagacli for his kind and patient advice and the competent service.