Laser eye surgery abroad – Istanbul / 9 to 12 August 2012 – report from Thursday, 9 August 2012

For ten years, I had relied on vision correction. Either glasses or lenses were always necessary to perceive my surroundings comfortably. Over time, I experienced increasing problems with lenses; my eyes were red and sore. Multiple visits to the optician each year became necessary. I had to switch from monthly lenses to bi-weekly lenses, adjust the care solution, and attend even more frequent check-ups. I never really got used to glasses, and for sports, lenses were simply more comfortable.
Two colleagues then told me that they had their eyes lasered in Istanbul. They were very satisfied with the results, even raving about it, and gave me the website www.swisslasik.ch. This was over a year ago. I kept thinking about it and considered whether I should take the plunge. People outside usually reacted negatively to my plan, believing that having laser surgery abroad, particularly in Turkey, was dangerous.
I then decided to have the preliminary examination in Zurich. A colleague of mine was also interested and wanted to have his eyes lasered as well. At that point, I did not even know whether my eyes were suitable. The preliminary examination went very well, everything was clean and conducted very professionally. That was when I definitively decided to fly to Turkey.
Through Swisslasik, I was able to organise everything – flight, hotel, appointments, etc. This was a great relief. On Thursday morning, I could board the plane in Zurich without having to worry about anything. We were picked up at the airport and taken to the hotel. The afternoon was free, and we explored Istanbul for the first time.
On Friday morning, a driver picked us up at the hotel and drove us to the Acibadem Clinic. There, our eyes were examined again in detail and the procedure was explained. The examinations did not take long, and around midday we were allowed to visit the city again. Our surgery then took place in the late afternoon. We arrived at the hospital, were dressed for the operating room, and our faces disinfected.
During the surgery, you focus on a light point with one eye. You do not feel anything during the procedure; it goes quickly and smoothly without problems. About 30 minutes after the operation, the first follow-up check was conducted. Afterwards, we were taken back to the hotel. I experienced pain for about four hours; my eyes were watery and slightly sore. During this time, we just lay in the darkened hotel room, listened to music, and dozed off. After four hours, I could open my eyes slightly, and my vision was already excellent. The eye drops could also be applied without any problems.
The next morning, it was an incredible feeling to wake up and see the world immediately clearly and sharply. The only point that could be improved is: the pick-up appointments should be kept more punctually. Once, we waited an hour for the driver. Manuela Bänziger