Experience report: LASIK abroad – Turkey – report from Friday, 21 September 2012

Sonja Seiler, 1 August 2012 Istanbul I had wanted to have my eyes lasered about five years ago, but I was too afraid and abandoned the idea. Over time, however, I started having problems with my contact lenses and could no longer wear them. Glasses were not an option for me. I researched extensively online and then came across Swisslasik. At first, Turkey was not an option for me as I definitely wanted it done in Switzerland. I continued looking and found another eye laser centre in Zurich and immediately scheduled an initial consultation. However, I was not very convinced. I then returned to Swisslasik, attended a presentation in Zurich, and was impressed. The price and the package including flight, hotel, and so on were more attractive. That is why I decided on Istanbul. I took my husband with me. At the beginning of August, we flew to Istanbul with Swiss. Everything went perfectly, and at the airport we were picked up by a driver from Acibadem Hospital. The journey took a long time due to heavy traffic. He brought us to the hotel, where we were warmly received. The hotel room (Levent Hotel) was clean. On the day of arrival, we went into the city, did some shopping, and had a nice meal. On the second day, we were picked up on time and taken to Acibadem. There, I first had to undergo various tests and learned that I was suitable for standard Lasik. Unfortunately, we were not properly informed about what would happen next, and there was a lot of waiting. The translator was not always present. Since my procedure was scheduled for the afternoon and I did not want to wait in the hospital, we went to a nearby shopping centre. In the afternoon, it began. I was very nervous. On the operating table, everything happened very quickly. I felt no pain and it was not bad at all. Only the eye clamp hurt a little on one side, but that was the only discomfort and was tolerable. After about 20 minutes, it was all over. Afterwards, the pain gradually began. I experienced a burning sensation in both eyes and could no longer open them. We went straight back to the hotel, and I was glad I could just lie down and sleep. After about four hours, it gradually got better, and I could already see relatively well. The next day, my vision improved even more. My left eye was almost perfect, but my right eye was still not as clear as the other. It was still very blurry, which was frustrating. Left super, right blurry. But I was still satisfied and happy because I no longer needed glasses. Then I had the follow-up examination, and according to the doctor, everything had gone perfectly. We were able to enjoy the day and explore the city at our leisure. The next day, we flew back to Zurich. Over the following two to three weeks, the right eye improved slightly, so now I have 0.5 diopters in the right eye and 0.0 in the left. The left eye’s vision was perfect very quickly with no changes. The right eye still varies a little. In the dark, I see worse than in the daytime. Overall, however, I am very satisfied and would do it again at any time. The follow-up went well, and I was very satisfied with the doctor there too.