My surgery at the Acibadem Clinic in Istanbul – report from Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I’ve had to wear glasses since I was seven years old. I was never really thrilled about it, but I got used to it. Since I’m a competitive athlete, I eventually had to switch to contact lenses, but they kept falling out during sports and were also occasionally bothersome.

About six months ago, a colleague of mine had expensive eye surgery in Switzerland. He could see without glasses afterward, and I was thrilled. I thought there must be a cheaper but equally effective method for eye surgery. So I started researching online and asking around. Eventually, I came across Swisslasik online.

Since I didn’t want to go to Turkey alone for eye surgery, I looked for a colleague who had the same problem. Once I found someone, I immediately contacted Mr. Karaagaçli from Swisslasik, and things started to take shape. We searched for a suitable surgery date together, and I asked my questions and always received prompt answers.

About three months later, the adventure could finally begin. We flew to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines on Thursday evening. Upon arrival in Istanbul, a driver was already waiting for us, as arranged, with a sign bearing our names. The drive to the hotel was quite an adventure. You can imagine how challenging it was for drivers to navigate a huge metropolis like Istanbul. Twenty minutes later, we arrived safely at the Taksim Park City Hotel. The driver then informed us that he would pick us up the next morning at 8:00 a.m. After a quick and easy check-in at the hotel, we went straight to bed.

The next morning at 7:00 AM, our day in Istanbul began. We went for a quick, leisurely breakfast (which was amazing, by the way!) and then it was already 8:00 AM. At 8:15 AM, our driver arrived (a 15-minute delay in this traffic certainly wasn’t a problem for anyone). The drive to the clinic was uneventful, and we even had a chance to see a bit of the city.

Our very friendly translator greeted us at the clinic. She briefly explained what we would be doing, and then we took the elevator to the ophthalmology department. As is customary at home, we first had to provide our information, and then we waited a few minutes. After about 10 minutes, two doctors arrived and conducted the preliminary examinations. The examinations were completed after about 30 minutes. After another 10 minutes or so, the very nice doctor saw us individually and explained which surgical method she recommended and how the procedure would work. She suggested I have the standard LASIK treatment.

We were now ready for the operation but had to wait three hours. We spent those three hours at the nearby shopping center. At 2:00 PM, it was finally time. We were given the surgical gowns and then operated on. The operation was unpleasant (as you can imagine =)) but painless. After 15 minutes, it was all over, and we received our “Robocop” protective goggles.

Now came the worst part of it all: THE RECOVERY. Since my eyesight was really bad, it took a very long time before I could open my eyes again without any stinging, scratching, biting, etc. The doctor had warned me, but I hadn’t expected it to be this bad. My colleague was able to open his eyes without any problems after about an hour. For me, unfortunately, it took about six hours. Thirty minutes after the operation, the doctor checked our eyes again and said that everything had gone perfectly.

After the security check, we were allowed to return to the hotel. You can imagine there are more pleasant moments than being driven blindfolded through Istanbul. However, since my colleague had regained his sight by that point, it wasn’t so bad. Once in the room, we immediately blacked out the windows and collapsed onto the beds.

Around 8:30 p.m., I was suddenly able to open my eyes again and could read and see everything. The pain I had experienced for the previous hours was forgotten. I could immediately watch TV, read the newspaper, etc., without my glasses. I was overjoyed.

The next morning, the follow-up appointment was scheduled. The driver was, as on the previous day, quite punctual. At the clinic, we practically didn’t have to wait at all, and we underwent a standard eye test involving reading letters from a wall. For the first time in my life, I could read EVERYTHING. The doctor said that my vision was now 100%. Before the operation, my prescription was -4 and -3.25 diopters.

After the check, we were then able to spend two more days sightseeing in Istanbul.

Today, almost 3 weeks later, I am overjoyed to have had the operation and have not had any problems so far.

I can therefore recommend the operation to everyone. Peter Davida