Experience report of LASIK eye surgery from January 14, 2011 by Marcel Kaufmann – Report from Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Since around the age of seven, I had to wear visual aids more or less constantly, and from about twelve years old, I could no longer manage without glasses. It always annoyed me when the lenses fogged up or got dirty, the contact lenses were always uncomfortable or too inconvenient, and there were always other issues caused by my visual impairments, including my nearsightedness and astigmatism.
By the end, my nearsightedness had reached about 5 dioptres, and my 3.5 dioptres of astigmatism were also significant. By then, I had already reached the point where I had to search for my glasses in the morning if I hadn’t carefully put them away the night before. Fortunately, medical technology has made great progress over the past few years, and nowadays a lot can be corrected with a laser.
Over twelve years ago, my brother had his eyes lasered in Germany and is still satisfied with the results. Since then, I had always wanted to eliminate my visual aids as well, but financial and family reasons repeatedly delayed it. In Switzerland, a standard procedure still costs between CHF 6,000 and CHF 9,000, and it is rarely covered by health insurance.
A year ago, my sister also had laser eye surgery in Istanbul through Swisslasik and could only speak positively about it. When I recently asked her about the price, the decision was only minutes away – I would finally go ahead and have it done! I spent a few more days browsing the informative website, gathering information about the procedure, and feeling confident and ready to proceed.
On a Friday, I sent my first email to Swisslasik requesting available appointments, and shortly afterwards, I received a response with dates within a few days. After a few more emails, everything was arranged, payment was made online, and my departure date was set for Thursday of the following week. I did not have a preliminary examination, assuming it would be fine since it had worked for my siblings. In hindsight, perhaps I would not have gone if I had done one. I also chose only the standard package, which turned out to be a good decision.
On the appointed Thursday, I took the train to the airport (wondering if I would even be able to see afterwards), collected my pre-booked ticket with my ID, and headed to Turkey. Upon arriving in Istanbul, I waited a short while for the pick-up service, which had been delayed transporting passengers from a flight that had landed an hour earlier. Shortly after, they arrived and safely brought me to the hotel. I did a little sightseeing that evening (still wearing my glasses), had dinner, and got used to the friendly but persistent street vendors.
On Friday morning, after breakfast, a clinic employee picked me up again, and once all the patients were gathered, we arrived at the clinic within a few minutes. The morning was spent waiting, undergoing examinations, performing calculations, and discussing the procedure with the doctor. It turned out that my corneas were slightly too thin for a 100% correction. The doctor informed me that about 0.5 diopters of astigmatism would likely remain. I was a bit shocked at first, but my motto was anyway: as long as it’s better than before. Whether I might occasionally need glasses will only become clear over the next few months or even years.
This also confirmed that choosing the standard package was a good decision for me, since a further operation would probably not be possible later. After the examinations, we had lunch to recharge—after all, you shouldn’t go into surgery undernourished. Later in the afternoon, everyone returned to the clinic. After some burning eye drops (the only truly painful part), we were taken up a floor to mentally prepare for the operation.
Entering the operating room, I could just glimpse the previous patient through the window, but I heard no screams or anything like that, so it couldn’t be too bad. After washing my face and putting on the cap, I was ready. I was called into the operating room, lay on the table, and one eye was covered. The protective film was cut open, and the ring that keeps the eye open was placed. From then on, I had to focus on the blinking green dot. A mesh pattern of red dots was also visible, apparently used to measure the eye during the operation.
The corneal flap was then created. It was slightly uncomfortable due to vertical and lateral pressure on the eye, but thanks to the anesthesia, it wasn’t particularly painful. After lifting the flap, the laser proceeded in seconds, point by point, removing excess corneal tissue. The eye was then rinsed, the flap repositioned, and pressed down. Suddenly, I could see much sharper than I had been used to. The same procedure was repeated for the second eye. Within about 15 minutes, I could walk to the recovery room on my own, allowing my eyes to rest. Shortly after, I returned to the general clinic area, where I could already read TV subtitles.
After a brief follow-up and discussion with the doctor, we headed straight back to the hotel, where room service brought dinner. I tried to sleep, keeping up with the eye drops, and after about six hours, the pain had mostly subsided. The next day, another check-up showed nothing unexpected. I was officially discharged and had time to stroll through Istanbul, enjoying my new vision.
Now, at 42 years old, I am finally free of glasses and enjoy every day, even though my vision isn’t always perfect. For some time, I still need to use the various eye drops, and certain activities should be avoided. The first week after the operation was very demanding—especially working on the computer or focusing on close-up tasks, which was very straining for my eyes. By Friday, I was completely exhausted. Otherwise, everything is fine; when it gets tiring at the screen, I just look out the window and give my eyes a break. Driving cars or motorcycles is also much more comfortable, and at night I am far less dazzled than before.
Next, I should probably have the requirement “must wear glasses or contact lenses” removed from my driver’s record, or I may wait until it becomes necessary again due to age.
Conclusion: I wish I had done this much earlier. Every day without glasses is more valuable thanks to the improved quality of life, and I constantly enjoy my sharper vision. The support from Swisslasik can only be recommended—affordable yet very professional. German-speaking assistance was always available, whether during transfers, at the hotel, or of course in the clinic.