Eye surgery in Istanbul – Report from Monday, November 19, 2007

Hallo

Here is a review of my experience after my LASIK surgery with Swisslasik in Istanbul at the EYEstar Clinic.

I have been wearing glasses since I was 4 years old and have been toying with the idea of having laser eye surgery for a long time. Ultimately, it was my love of diving, for which wearing glasses is rather impractical, that prompted me to take the plunge, especially since I already knew several people who had had successful surgery.

Now the search for a suitable clinic began. I knew from friends that it was possible to have surgery in Istanbul and that it was much cheaper than in Switzerland or Germany. So I started surfing the Internet and reading reviews on independent forums. Based on my subjective assessment, I came to the conclusion that Swisslasik offers me the best deal (in terms of quality).

The preliminary examination, which was only available in Zurich, which was not very convenient for me as I live in Lausanne, revealed that my pupils were very large (and that I was at risk of developing halos when seeing at night), so the ophthalmologist advised me to have an implantable contact lens fitted. I wasn’t entirely sure whether I should have this procedure done, as it seemed very invasive to me and was also going to cost twice as much.

I flew to Istanbul anyway and discussed again with the ophthalmologist who would also perform the operation which procedure would be suitable for me. He said that my pupils were borderline for LASIK surgery, but that LASIK should be feasible because of my relatively thick cornea, so I decided to go ahead with LASIK.

The next day, I was quite nervous and gladly accepted the sedative that was offered to me. Shortly afterwards, I was taken to the preparation room, where the area around my eyes was disinfected, and then I was taken into the operating room. The laser treatment was relatively quick, and before I knew it, I was wheeled out of the operating room and taken to a dark recovery room. To do this, however, I had to open my eyes, and the pain that resulted was stronger than I had expected. However, I had the impression that my successors, who were operated on immediately after me, coped with it somewhat better than I did. The next 30 minutes were very unpleasant, but then I was called in for a follow-up examination, anesthetic drops were put in my eyes, and from then on, things went steadily uphill.

The first evening after the operation was relatively long, as you should keep your eyes closed as much as possible, and since it was 5 p.m., it was much too early to sleep. Well, that was to be expected.

The follow-up examination was at noon the next day. I could already see reasonably well (according to the ophthalmologist, 90%; in my opinion, not quite as well), and my vision continued to improve throughout the day and the following days. I was even able to use the afternoon after the follow-up examination for sightseeing (and saw a lot).

The organization surrounding the operation was very good. I was picked up immediately from the airport (after a punctual flight) and was always taken from the hotel to the clinic and back again. The “driver” also helped out at the clinic and was therefore able to give me a lot of information and was also very helpful overall, as was the rest of the clinic staff. The hotel was not a 4* hotel in the traditional sense, but it absolutely met my needs (clean, private bathroom, etc.).

Now, four days after the operation, I am already enjoying not having to wear glasses or contact lenses anymore. Every day I notice that my vision is a little better than the day before, and now I can see just as well as I did with my glasses before. In my left eye, I sometimes see a smudged spot in the lower outer quarter, but it is becoming less noticeable every day and I hope it will soon disappear completely. Otherwise, I’m doing very well, no inflammation or anything else unusual or unpleasant. My eyes are as white as ever, without any small blood vessels.

Personally, I had the impression that the doctors at EYEstar are extremely good and very experienced, and that it would be difficult to find better doctors in other European countries.

Good luck with your decision.

Oh, I see; I haven’t seen any halos yet.

Hanne