My laser eye surgery in Istanbul – report from Saturday, February 6, 2010

Hello Swisslasik Team,
I decided on surgery in Istanbul on January 21, 2010, because it was a little too expensive for my budget in Switzerland. A few acquaintances gave me the address online, and after doing some research, I found that the complete offer suited me very well. I went to Switzerland for a preliminary examination, and the ophthalmologist confirmed that my eyes were suitable. I found that very important, otherwise, the entire flight for the surgery to Istanbul would have been in vain. It all went very quickly. Swisslasik organized everything for me: flight, hotel, and surgery. I was very happy that everything went perfectly. I also received a Swisslasik pass, and the most important information was included, such as who would pick us up, which hotel we were staying at, surgery appointment, etc.
Then it was finally time to go to Istanbul. I was very curious but calm. We were picked up at the airport by a kind gentleman, and we drove to the hotel. (The room was small but fine and very clean). The next morning, he picked us up at 11:00 AM (very punctual), and we walked about 5 minutes to the clinic. From the outside, it didn’t look like a clinic, but that was very misleading. We had to immediately cover our shoes for hygienic reasons, and I was very impressed by how clean everything was. We were warmly welcomed, and everything was explained to us in German about what would happen next. My eyes were first examined with various devices, and then the operating doctor also had a look. He was a very kind and pleasant man, unfortunately, he could only speak English, but everything was translated into German for me. He addressed all of our questions and answered them competently.
In the afternoon, it was finally time for the surgery at 3:30 PM. Before that, I was given a sedative and drops were explained to me for after the surgery. I was called in right away, and the surgery lasted about 15 minutes—it went very quickly. After the surgery, I had difficulty opening my eyes, but it was manageable. I had no pain, which I was very relieved about, as I had imagined it would be worse. We went back to the hotel right away, and I slept through the whole night.
The next morning, I looked out of the hotel window and was very excited and very happy. I could see everything very clearly and even read posters. I felt like I was born again—such a wonderful feeling, it’s indescribable. At 11:00 AM, we had to go for a follow-up examination at the clinic. The whole team greeted us very kindly and asked how I was doing. I was seen right away without any waiting times—great. The doctor took another look at me and shared the results with me. I must add something here: in Switzerland, I was told that due to my corneal distortion, the left eye could only be corrected up to 80%. He told me that he had corrected almost everything on the left eye, and I was very happy. (Left 0.25, Right 0.00). This is a fantastic result, and I no longer need glasses.
We then went sightseeing in Istanbul in the afternoon, but unfortunately, it snowed. I had no problems at all, as if I had never had anything done to my eyes. For me, it was a fantastic experience, and I would do it again and recommend it to anyone.
Thank you to the entire team and Swisslasik for the great organization.
Kind regards,
Maria Rodriguez