My two eyes and I – Eye LASIK in Istanbul – Report from Thursday, 24 March 2016
For years, I had to wear glasses, and eventually, I switched to contact lenses. But I was never 100% satisfied because the contact lenses, especially when I was sick, would dry out my eyes. Of course, you might ask why I don’t wear glasses. Well, with glasses, I can’t see everything around me clearly.
About 10 years ago, I asked my eye doctor about laser eye surgery. Back then, I had to wait until I was fully grown, since the eyes continue to develop. And of course, I don’t need to mention the cost. Five years later, I heard from a friend that she was getting her eyes lasered. Where? Of course, in Istanbul. It’s much more affordable there, and there are other advantages. My friend didn’t have much luck with the laser, though. The machine broke down during the procedure due to a software issue. So, it took quite a long time for the machine to be fixed, and only then could they finish her treatment. Naturally, I became a little uncertain about having it done in Turkey. Isn’t Switzerland supposed to be safer? Anyway, my friend told me that if such an issue were to happen again in the future, the doctors there would be able to resolve it much faster themselves. After all, someone had to be the first. And mistakes happen everywhere. It doesn’t have to happen to everyone. But I wasn’t sure what the best option would be. In any case, she looks great now after the laser treatment, even though she had a stronger vision impairment.
About 3 or 4 years later, when I finally got around to looking into eye laser treatment, I decided I wanted to get it done in Istanbul as well. After all, I knew someone directly and several others indirectly who had done it there, and they’ve been doing well so far. From what I’ve read, the doctors in Turkey have a lot more experience since they perform eye surgeries regularly. Plus, there’s the added benefit that I could do the follow-up checks in Switzerland.
So, I wanted to get more details and spoke with Mr. Kara, who was very friendly on the phone and explained everything I needed to know. I had my first check-up with Dr. Banu Coşar. It was great that I could meet the doctor before the eye laser treatment. An interpreter translated everything diligently, and I never felt that there was a communication barrier. That was really important to me, as the eyes are one of the most important organs. One of my biggest concerns was whether I could go blind from the laser treatment. The answer was a definite no, guaranteed.
I didn’t read much about the laser treatment or patient reviews. I wasn’t still considering it; I was certain I wanted to go ahead with it and just thought positively. Once I told them when I wanted to have the LASIK done, everything was organized (flight, hotel, pick-up service), and I was sent all the necessary documents. One of them was the Swisslasik pass. The pass is brilliant because all the information, including the e-ticket, is right there.
Two days before my departure, I came down with a sore throat and a fever of 39.5°C. I was very stressed because I didn’t want to cancel the surgery. I was unsure, as I had to take medications like antibiotics and fever-reducing drugs, whether the laser treatment could even be done or allowed. On Tuesday, the day before my departure, I was able to rest a bit. I wasn’t even nervous, because I just wanted to get better and have the eye laser treatment successfully behind me.
On Wednesday morning at the airport, I got a fever again. It kept rising and falling. Completely exhausted, I boarded the plane with my companion-colleague, hoping that everything would go smoothly. At the airport in Turkey, there was a long delay at passport control due to some computer system error. Since we couldn’t communicate, we had no idea what the problem was. I just wanted to get to the hotel and rest. Finally, we were allowed to pick up our luggage, which wasn’t there. In the meantime, a woman from Acibadem called to check where we were. After a bit of back and forth, we finally found two lonely suitcases standing aside. Then, we could finally head to the meeting point, “Acibadem Health Point.” We were told that the taxi would arrive in a few minutes. Finally, we got into the taxi, and the driver took us to the hotel. It was already dark, around 7 p.m., when we arrived at the hotel. It was a very tiring day for me.
I still had a sore throat. I kept taking my medication diligently.
Today was the eye laser day. I slept very poorly, partly because of my illness and, I guess, also due to the nerves about the laser. However, I wasn’t nervous yet. I just thought positively, hoping everything would go well. At 9 a.m., we were picked up by the small Acibadem bus. At the Acibadem hospital, they performed a thorough pre-examination. The interpreter, Mr. Tolga, translated everything well. It was confirmed that my eyes were suitable for the laser and that my eyes would be treated in the afternoon. We were able to eat lunch at the hospital. I still had a sore throat, but the fever finally went away, and I hoped it would stay that way. Afterward, we were picked up by Mr. Tolga again. I had to read and sign some papers regarding the laser treatment. My colleague waited in the waiting room while I had to go to a small room. There, I was given green surgical clothes for hygiene protection and led into the operating room. When I had to lie down on the table, I began to feel a bit scared. When Dr. Coşar opened my eyes, I thought for a second whether I should just give up and leave. But no, I can do this. Honestly, even going to the dentist would have been worse than this for me. The only thing that made me nervous was the fact that you can’t see anything during the eye laser. But that’s the part that scared me the most. You could say, it looked like beautiful patterns moving on a black background, almost like when you rub your eyes hard and see patterns. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all. The fear was the only thing. I even held my own arm tight because I was so scared. A few minutes later, they told me that the laser treatment for the right eye was done. I was very surprised. Then the left eye was also finished. I didn’t feel anything—no pain, nothing. I felt great. My vision was a little blurry, of course, but I was fine. I was given protective sunglasses, as the name suggests, which I had to wear even when I slept that night, to avoid rubbing my eyes or anything. From the next day, I could wear normal sunglasses. On the way to the hotel in the car, I could already see well, though I felt like there was something foreign in my eyes. So, I kept my eyes closed. But it wasn’t that bad. At the hotel, I rested, and my companion helped me by putting in the eye drops every hour, as instructed. This was a huge help to me, as I didn’t have to keep checking the time for the next drop. After about 1-2 hours, I no longer had the foreign body feeling and could see clearly. I still rested for another 2 hours, though, as it was recommended. In the evening, when it was dark, we went outside. Everything went super. I also slept perfectly with the protective glasses.
When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I wanted to do was put on my glasses, but then I realized that I could see perfectly without them. And in the evening, I almost reached for my contact lenses to take them out, but of course, I no longer had them. It felt so strange, like my usual evening routine of removing my contacts before bed was suddenly missing. It was like stepping into a whole new world. A new life. Finally!!! 🙂
On Friday morning, I had my first follow-up examination at the Acibadem hospital. They told me that everything looks very good.
The hotel was very nice. There were also a few people from the hotel who spoke German.
Many people come to the hotel for eye laser treatments, as well as other surgeries like hair implants or cosmetic procedures. This gave us the opportunity to connect with other patients, which I really enjoyed. We stayed for a few more days to explore the city, and I also really liked the city.
In the first month, I experienced fluctuations in my vision, which means that it takes about 1 to 3 months for the eyes to stabilize. My left eye was often irritated and I could see worse with it than with my right eye. After a month, I had my first follow-up check here in Switzerland. My eyes are still dry, which is normal. That’s why my left eye is still irritated at times. But the results showed that I see much better with my left eye than with my right eye, which surprised me. This made me feel reassured. In about two more months, my eyes should be more stabilized. In any case, everything else looks good, and I no longer need glasses. I still use the eye drops diligently, but after a few months, I won’t need them anymore.
Many thanks once again to Dr. Coşar and the interpreter Mr. Tolga for the eye laser treatment, and of course to the Managing Director, Mr. Kara, and the administrator, Mrs. Lamas, for their cooperation and for always answering my questions so well.
Lahvannjah aus der Schweiz