My surgery at the Acibadem Clinic in Istanbul – report from Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Since the age of seven, I had to wear glasses. I was never really enthusiastic about them but got used to it. As a competitive athlete, I eventually had to switch to contact lenses, which, however, kept falling out during sports and sometimes caused discomfort.

About half a year ago, a colleague of mine had his eyes operated on in Switzerland for a lot of money. Afterwards, he could see without glasses, and I was very enthusiastic about it. I thought there must be a more affordable but equally effective way to have the eyes operated on. So I began researching online and in my surroundings. Eventually, I came across Swisslasik on the internet.

Since I did not want to go to Turkey alone for eye surgery, I looked for a colleague who had the same issues. After finding someone, I immediately contacted Mr Karaagaçli from Swisslasik, and everything began to take shape. We searched together for a suitable surgery date, and I asked my questions and always received prompt answers.

About three months later, the adventure could finally begin. We flew to Istanbul on Thursday evening with Turkish Airlines. Upon arrival in Istanbul, a driver was already waiting for us as arranged, holding a sign with our names. The ride to the hotel was quite an adventure—you can imagine how drivers navigate through a huge metropolis like Istanbul. Twenty minutes later, we safely arrived at the Taksim Park City Hotel. The driver informed us that he would pick us up the next morning at 8:00 am. After a quick and smooth check-in at the hotel, we went to bed.

The next morning, our day in Istanbul began at 7:00 am. We had a brief, leisurely breakfast (which was amazing!) and by 8:00 am it was already time. At 8:15 am, our driver arrived (a 15-minute delay in this traffic is certainly no problem for anyone). The drive to the clinic was calm, and we were even able to get a little sightseeing along the way.

At the clinic, we were greeted by our very friendly interpreter. She briefly explained what we would be doing next, and then we took the elevator up to the eye department of the clinic. First, as usual, we had to provide our personal information and then wait a few minutes. After about 10 minutes, two medical assistants came and conducted the pre-examinations with us. About 30 minutes later, the examinations were complete. After another 10 minutes, we were each received individually by the very nice doctor, who explained which surgical method she recommended and how the procedure would take place. She suggested that I undergo the standard Lasik treatment.

We were now ready for the surgery but had to wait three hours. We spent the three hours in a nearby shopping center. At 2:00 pm, it was finally time. We were dressed for the procedure and then operated on. The surgery was uncomfortable (as you can imagine =)) but painless. After 15 minutes, it was all over, and we were given our “Robocop protective glasses.”

Now came the hardest part of all: the healing. Since my eyes were really bad, it took a long time before I could open them again without stinging, scratching, or burning. The doctor had warned me, but I wasn’t prepared for it. My colleague was able to open his eyes without any problems after about an hour. Unfortunately, for me it took around six hours. Thirty minutes after the surgery, the doctor checked our eyes again and said that everything had gone perfectly.

After the check-up, we were allowed to return to the hotel. You can surely imagine that there are more pleasant moments than being driven blind through Istanbul. However, since my colleague could already see again at that point, it was only half as bad. Once in the room, we immediately darkened the windows and collapsed onto the beds.

Around 8:30 pm, I was finally able to open my eyes and could see and read everything. The pain I had felt in the previous hours was forgotten. I could immediately watch TV, read the newspaper, and more without glasses. I was overjoyed.

The next morning was the follow-up check. The driver, as the day before, was very punctual. At the clinic, we hardly had to wait, and we were tested with a standard eye chart reading letters on the wall. For the first time in my life, I could read EVERYTHING. The doctor said that I now have 100% vision. Before the surgery, I had -4 and -3.25 in my eyes.

After the check-up, we were able to spend another two days sightseeing in Istanbul.

Today, nearly three weeks later, I am overjoyed to have had the surgery and have experienced no problems so far.

I can therefore recommend the surgery to everyone. Peter Davida