Finally glasses-free My patient report for laser eye surgery in Istanbul – report from Thursday 28 June 2012

Istanbul from 28 April 2012 to 5 May 2012 I had long considered having laser eye surgery. I had worn glasses since primary school. Unfortunately, I increasingly struggled with contact lenses and as I enjoy sports very much, glasses became more and more inconvenient for me. An acquaintance had her eyes lasered five years ago and recommended Swisslasik to me. So at the beginning of 2012 I decided to finally go for it. After thoroughly studying the Swisslasik website I contacted Mr Karaagacli for a quote. In mid-January I also had the preliminary examination in Zurich and it was definite: laser surgery was possible. Immediately after this positive news I booked the all-inclusive package. I had visited Istanbul several times before and as I really like this city, I combined the laser treatment with a week of vacation together with my mother and my aunt. The adventure began on 28 April 2012. First a few days exploring the city and on 3 May came the BIG day. However, it all started a little awkwardly. According to the Swisslasik pass, pick-up time was 8.00 a.m. But we were rudely woken up by the phone at 7.00 a.m. The driver was already there, oh shock. The driver then contacted someone from Acibadem Hospital and this staff member apologised to me, saying there had probably been a misunderstanding somewhere. We should freshen up briefly and come to the clinic, we could have breakfast there. I took my mother and aunt as companions, which according to the Acibadem staff member was also fine. So we hurried and were driven to the hospital. Upon arrival, we were already met by the interpreter. There was no mention of breakfast anymore and he told me he had tried to reach me the day before to inform me not to bring any companions. This made me a little suspicious, but he then said it was okay. Then the preliminary examinations began, which took several hours, and I had to wait a long time in between. I was glad to have two people with me to talk to a bit. The doctor then informed me that the standard Lasik-Lasek method was possible. To pass the time between the preliminary examinations and the procedure, we took a taxi to a nearby shopping centre. My surgery began at 5.30 p.m. There were three other patients there for the same treatment. I was the last to go. The procedure was very short; within a few minutes the first eye was done and the second eye was also quickly finished. The interpreter was also present during the procedure and continuously told me what to do and encouraged me. Afterwards I received a special protective glasses and had to wait about 30 minutes in the dark waiting room for the follow-up check