Name: Renfer Patrick, born 1977 / Surgery in March 2009

Refraction:
Right eye: -6.25 = -2.50 / 21° Visual acuity 1.00
Left eye: -5.50 = -2.50 / 172° Visual acuity 1.00

Seeing without my glasses or contact lenses had long been a dream of mine.

So, I decided to go for a preliminary examination at the Eye Laser Institute in Bern in February 2007, with the result that only a lens implant would be an option for me, costing 12,000 CHF. Since I couldn’t afford that, I kept searching and sometimes spent hours online looking for other providers and options. I found laser surgeries in Bratislava, Germany, Lucerne, etc. However, the Eye-Star Clinic in Istanbul made by far the best impression on me, so I sent my preliminary examination results from the Eye Laser Institute to Mr. Karaagacli-Leoni.

After just one day, I received the happy news that, after reviewing my preliminary examination results, a laser surgery would indeed be an option for me. I was very happy, but also a bit uncertain. Why were there two different results from the same examination? I decided to go for another preliminary examination with the referring doctor in Zurich. After receiving the green light for the laser surgery there as well, and after excellent support from Mr. Karaagacli-Leoni, I decided to go ahead with the laser surgery in Istanbul.

On Monday, March 23, 2009, I flew to Istanbul with my wife on Swiss Airlines, where we were picked up by Birol and taken to the Midtown Hotel (highly recommended). That evening, we spent time in the Taksim district with an acquaintance of ours who lives in Istanbul.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at 11:00 AM, we were picked up by Birol, although it wasn’t really necessary as our hotel was only 3 minutes away from the clinic. The clinic looked old and run-down from the outside, but that’s because the building is a listed historic monument. Inside, however, the clinic was state-of-the-art and very hygienic.

The preliminary examination followed on-site, and we were given information about the surgery (all in perfect German or even Swiss German by Fred). After the preliminary examination, we had 4 hours to ourselves. Since my vision was a bit restricted, we decided to take a short walk and enjoy a nice lunch. At 5:00 PM, the surgery took place, and I was third in line. The procedure went by in a flash (it lasted about 20 minutes) and was completely painless (for my wife, who could follow and film everything on a screen, it was more painful…). After the surgery, we stayed in the clinic for about 30 minutes for a brief follow-up examination.
Then we went back to the hotel, where I was able to fall asleep immediately.

On Wednesday, March 25, 2009, again at 11:00 AM, we went to the clinic. There was no sign of the anticipated pain. The follow-up examination took place, and the doctor confirmed that everything was fine. However, I felt that my left eye wasn’t as sharp as my right eye.
We spent the afternoon exploring Istanbul, an incredible city with a massive population (now 20 million residents). We visited the bazaar, the Asian side, shopping malls, and finally, enjoyed some delicious kebab.

On Thursday, March 26, 2009, Birol picked us up at 3:00 PM and took us to the airport. On the plane, I had to apply eye drops every half hour, but it was no problem at all. We arrived in Zurich-Kloten at 8:00 PM, and I got into the driver’s seat of my car and drove home without any issues.

27.03.2009 – Today: I have had absolutely no problems following the laser surgery up to and including today. I still have the feeling that I see slightly better with my right eye than with my left, but this will become clear after the follow-up examination approximately one month after the operation.

I am thoroughly enjoying my new life with excellent vision without glasses or contact lenses and almost every week I watch the video of my operation, including my impressions of Istanbul.

Conclusion: The operation went perfectly, and the staff of the Eye-Star Clinic as well as Mr Karaagacli-Leoni are exceptionally friendly and attentive. In addition to the operation, I was able to get to know Istanbul as a very impressive city. Personally, I would undergo the operation again at any time and can highly recommend that anyone else choose the Eye-Star Clinic for laser eye surgery.

Many thanks to everyone involved!