Report from Istanbul: Laser eye surgery – Report from Monday, July 9, 2007
First of all, I have to say that I’m extremely satisfied with the LASIK procedure in Istanbul. It’s now 11 days after the surgery and almost everything is going well.
As soon as I landed in Istanbul, I was off the plane when my phone rang and it was Arif. He was the one picking me up.
He speaks German, so no problem.
Arif was incredibly friendly and took me straight to the hotel. On the way, he gave me lots of tips for Istanbul.
The next day was the surgery. Fred picked me up; he speaks Bernese German, even though the clinic was only 50 meters away. At the clinic, I received a very friendly welcome, and everything was explained to me—in Bernese German, of course! The pre-operative examination went smoothly, and I was able to slowly prepare for the surgery. First, however, I was asked to get something to eat, as I certainly wouldn’t be able to walk after the operation. The surgery was scheduled for around 5:30 p.m.
I was already a bit nervous when I was called into the operating room. First, I was able to relax for a few minutes in a massage chair before I had to lie down on the operating table. Fred was there again; he explained everything that would happen and what would be done, which was great, and I let it all happen. To my surprise, I didn’t feel much, certainly no pain. The only unpleasant part was when they made the incision in my eye.
Then I was able to get up and go into a side room, which was very dark, and I was able to relax for about fifteen minutes with some good music. Then I went back to the main area of the clinic.
To my surprise, I could see quite well, and I wasn’t as blinded by the light as I had thought.
After about an hour, my eyes were examined again; Fred was there too, of course! Everything was OK, great!
Now I could return to the hotel, wearing sunglasses of course, because it was very bright outside.
Now I could return to the hotel, wearing sunglasses of course, because it was very bright outside.
Somewhat unpleasant: I was quite brazenly cheated and ripped off by a taxi driver. Well, apparently this happens quite often.
In the afternoon I had to go back to the clinic for a follow-up examination. Again everyone was incredibly friendly. Fred was there, and so was Arif.
Everything is perfect, 100% vision. Before, I had -2.00 in both eyes.
Now for something more positive: When I told Arif about the taxi driver, he immediately agreed to take me on another city tour. It was great with him. I didn’t get back to the hotel until almost midnight. I had a wonderful time with Arif.
The next day, Arif picked me up at the hotel and took me to the airport. The trip to Istanbul was over.
So I can only recommend that anyone who wants to have their eyes lasered should go for it. Don’t be afraid of Istanbul or Turkey. The service at Swisslasik.ch is also very good. There’s no reason to pay significantly more in Switzerland.
Many thanks to the team in Istanbul and to Swisslasik.ch