Double laser surgery – report from Monday, September 16, 2013
We’ve both worn glasses for over 35 years, and we were getting fed up with them, especially considering the prices at opticians. We’d been toying with the idea of laser eye surgery for a long time, but the prices in Switzerland were incredibly high and deterred us. Since we’d recently met people who had successfully undergone laser eye surgery abroad, we became more interested. We were a bit skeptical when we heard the surgery was performed in Istanbul. However, since a Swiss company was involved and it’s easy to find information online these days, we also attended an information evening. All in all, everything seemed well-organized, and the risk of a procedure going wrong didn’t seem any higher than if we’d had the same surgery in Switzerland. After careful consideration, we took the plunge and registered with Swisslasik. To be on the safe side, we had an eye exam in Zurich to make sure we were suitable candidates for the surgery. We’d been to ophthalmologists many times before, but we’d never received such a thorough examination. This demonstrated a high level of professionalism that inspired confidence. As the surgery date approached, we received our documents in a compact brochure about five days before departure. It contained all our contact information, e-ticket numbers, and much more. Then came the day of departure, Thursday evening, and off we went. Our adventure began! Upon arriving at Istanbul airport, we were met by a driver from the clinic who took us to our hotel. The next morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. On Friday morning, we were picked up again by a driver from the Acibadem Clinic. An interpreter was provided, and he was able to communicate with us without any problems, which was important to us. Various examinations began that morning; the clinic is very modern and state-of-the-art. To facilitate further tests, we had to use eye drops. With blurred vision, we ate lunch at the clinic. In the afternoon, the final examinations continued. These tests yielded the same results as the examination in Zurich. There were other patients in the waiting room who were also undergoing eye surgery. The surgery itself was painless, but it was a strange sensation; you could feel the pressure on your eyes during the procedure. Shortly afterward, we were taken to the waiting area, equipped with futuristic black glasses. Another examination, and then we were off to the car. The driver took us to the hotel; admittedly, neither of us could see very well. We were just glad to have found our hotel room. What followed wasn’t pleasant; our eyes burned quite badly, although we were already aware of that. On top of that, our noses were running, but luckily we had nasal drops with us. After about six hours, the itching and burning subsided. The biggest challenge was probably not rubbing our eyes; our glasses prevented that. Eventually, we fell asleep, and the next morning we were feeling quite well, the burning sensation having diminished considerably. That’s when the first “aha” moment came: as a farsighted person, I could read my watch clearly without my glasses, something that hadn’t even been possible with them before. My wife, who is nearsighted, could see into the distance – a real moment of joy! After breakfast, we were taken back to the clinic for another examination. Everything was fine; no inflammation was detected. The feeling of sand in our eyes was still there, but it was steadily diminishing. Back at the hotel, we decided to take a sightseeing tour on a hop-on hop-off bus. This allowed us to see several interesting places in Istanbul – highly recommended! Of course, we wore sunglasses throughout, as we were very sensitive to light. On Sunday afternoon, we were picked up again, and off we went back to the airport. After an initial follow-up examination in Zurich, the surgery proved to be a complete success. Further follow-up examinations are planned, but our conclusion is that we were very satisfied and would have the procedure done again in Istanbul and will recommend it to others. Corinne and Ivan, September 2013
