My LASIK surgery in December – report from Thursday, January 29, 2009
Last night, I went to Zurich for my follow-up examination, 4 weeks after my LASIK surgery. After providing information about the procedure and the overall care, I was very curious about the doctor’s results. My feeling that the surgery had gone well was confirmed, and he said: “Very nice, very nice!” I was very satisfied because my vision in the left eye is 125% and in the right eye it is 100%. Binocularly, I see 160%.
On Saturday, I traveled to Istanbul with my daughter. After we had to wait about 1 1/2 hours to check in—there was an unbelievable chaos in front of the 3!!! counters before Christmas—the flight was delayed by about half an hour. After that, everything went smoothly!
The customs clearance went relatively quickly, and Fred was already waiting for us outside. He took us to the car and drove us to the hotel. He even accompanied us to the lobby to ensure that we got a good room.
On Sunday, we explored part of Istanbul and used the metro a lot. Fred explained how we should navigate it. On Monday morning, we also visited the bazaar, but after about an hour, we had seen enough. The sellers were quite pushy.
In the afternoon, Fred picked us up from the hotel and accompanied us to the clinic. There were a total of 4 patients, 3 of whom were Swiss! We quickly got into conversations, of course, as we all had the same topic in common!
Once the exams were done and the formalities taken care of, we went to grab a quick bite. We were advised to avoid alcohol and caffeine. And what did I order? A cola! After the others gave me a disapproving look, I finally got the hint! I only drank half of it. LOL
Back at the clinic, we were briefed on the entire surgery process and the preparations. We lounged in soft chairs, waiting for the surgery. I passed the time by watching TV. Unfortunately, I was the last one in line. I felt so envious when the first one came back, already resting on a bed with her eyes tightly shut. I didn’t dare ask how it went. Finally, it was my turn to sit in the famous massage chair! After putting on the surgical gown, cap, and a second pair of shoe covers, my eyes were disinfected. I just lay there, hardly able to wait, while also feeling completely relaxed.
I was led into the operating room and lay down on the table under the laser. My eyes were already numbed, and now the right one was covered. The speculum was placed, and my eye was flushed. Then, the flap was cut and lifted. Everything became blurry. I was instructed to take a deep breath and focus on the green dot. I did as told. I saw red flashes and heard the sound of the laser, and just like that, it was over! My eye was flushed again, and the flap was gently repositioned, or at least that’s how it felt to me.
Phew, now for the left eye. I struggled a bit with concentration there. I noticed a brief pause, and the doctor calmly instructed me to focus on the dot, and then it continued. I had slightly moved my eye, and that’s when the laser stopped.
The doctor thanked me for my good cooperation, and Fred escorted me to a dark side room where I could briefly rest. He then took me to my fellow patients, who were already joking around again. However, I could hardly open my eyes and was longing for the “magic drops” that would ease the discomfort. First, I had to go for a quick follow-up check and then received those much-needed drops. We put on our sunglasses, and as we were leaving the clinic, I realized I hadn’t taken off the sexy green shoe covers!
Once I arrived at the hotel, I lay down in bed. But I just couldn’t relax, and the discomfort returned. So, I took the painkiller we were given and tried to sleep. I dozed off a bit. Three hours after the surgery, I went to a café with my daughter, and we had something sweet! I could see without glasses—it was incredible!
A few days later, we went for the follow-up check, and the doctor was very satisfied with all three of us. New patients had already arrived for their preliminary exams, and naturally, the curiosity was high. Afterward, we were driven to the airport and reminded not to forget our eye drops! Feeling happy, we flew back home.
On this note, I send my greetings to my fellow patients and hope they are doing as well as I am! I would also like to sincerely thank the entire EyeStar team for everything.
Denise Zeller