Turkey offers more experience than Switzerland for a quarter of the price! – Report from Tuesday, February 2, 2016
In January 2016, I had laser eye surgery in Istanbul, arranged through SwissLasik. I booked my flight and hotel myself, as I had found a very good deal and didn’t like the hotel they suggested. Upon arrival at the airport, we were driven to the hotel just a few minutes after checking in at the hospital desk. The driver had the correct address and found the hotel without any problems. The transfers between the hotel and the hospital also went smoothly: the driver was always very punctual, but otherwise, communication with him was nearly impossible. Once, he didn’t find the hotel immediately, but with our help, he quickly located it.
Upon our initial arrival at the hospital, we were dropped off in front of the entrance. Since we didn’t know any better, we went to the information desk, where the staff explained the way to the eye clinic. Once there, my German-speaking caregiver soon appeared, but he was quite surprised that we had found the department ourselves. Apparently, he had been waiting at a special reception desk near the entrance, which I hadn’t known about. After that, everything went smoothly, and although the caregiver was often a bit curt, he was a great help, as he quickly got me from one examination to the next.
The hospital is very modern and clean; its standards are absolutely comparable to those in Switzerland. However, the waiting times are significantly shorter than in Switzerland, and you are seen very quickly. The only time we had to wait was about 2.5 hours between the preliminary examination and the operation, but this was quite pleasant in the cafeteria. It’s advisable to bring an audiobook or music for the waiting time, as the eye drops from the preliminary examination make reading difficult.
The operation itself is very quick, taking about 15-20 minutes including changing clothes. I had Femto-LASIK. The first laser machine for creating the flap is a little uncomfortable, as some pressure is applied to the eye to fix it in place. However, it’s not painful, and it only takes a short time. The second machine, for the actual treatment, is also painless and only used briefly. There’s no pressure on the eye during this procedure. I was repeatedly reminded to look straight ahead and not move my eyes, which I found difficult. Nevertheless, the feedback from the doctor (who is also a professor) after the operation was positive; she said I had done well.
Immediately after the procedure, you receive protective goggles, somewhat resembling darkened ski goggles, which you have to wear for the first night to avoid accidentally touching your eye. After returning to the hotel, I lay down but couldn’t sleep. My eyes burned intensely for about three hours, and I was glad I had someone with me to help me with the eye drops, which you have to take hourly at the beginning. I was also extremely sensitive to light. After that, however, things improved quickly, and I was even able to go for a walk and have dinner at a restaurant (wearing sunglasses because of the increased light sensitivity). I never experienced headaches or any other negative effects, just the temporary burning and light sensitivity.
The next morning (Saturday), at the follow-up examination, everything was perfect: The doctor certified my vision as 100% and lifted all restrictions. The follow-up examination was also very quick, with hardly any waiting time. This left me plenty of time to explore Istanbul – a truly worthwhile city situated between Europe and the Orient.
Since it was Sunday and the hospital only had a few cars available, we were offered an extremely early time for the return trip to the airport, which would have meant waiting for more than four hours. Therefore, we declined the shuttle service and took the metro instead.
Now, two weeks after the operation, my vision is very good (as it was 2-3 days afterward). The only issues I still have are slightly dry eyes and an occasional faint halo effect around light sources (headlights) at night. I’ll have to continue using eye drops for about three more months.
To change my driver’s license, I had to take an eye test at an optician in Switzerland, as the road traffic office did not accept the confirmation from Turkey.
I was very satisfied with SwissLasik’s services; everything went smoothly, response times were always very short, and I received my preferred appointment date just a few weeks in advance. However, I opted for the on-site payment option, as the exchange rate was significantly more favorable.
Conclusion: I would do it all exactly the same way again!
Andreas Lindau