Name: Renfer Patrick, born 1977 / Surgery in March 2009

Refraction:
Right eye: -6.25 = -2.50 / 21° Visual acuity 1.00
Left eye: -5.50 = -2.50 / 172° Visual acuity 1.00

Seeing without my glasses or contact lenses had long been a dream of mine.

Therefore, in February 2007, I decided to have a preliminary examination at the Eye Laser Institute in Bern. The result was that only a lens implant would be suitable for me, costing CHF 12,000. Since I couldn’t afford this, I repeatedly searched the internet, sometimes for hours, for other providers and options. I found laser surgery in Bratislava, in Germany, in Lucerne, and elsewhere. Of all these, however, the EYE-Star Clinic in Istanbul made by far the best impression on me. For this reason, I sent my preliminary examination results from the Eye Laser Institute to Mr. Karaagacli-Leoni.

After just one day, I received the welcome news that, based on my preliminary examination results, laser surgery was definitely an option. I was very happy about this but also a little uncertain. Why were there two different results from one examination? I decided to have another preliminary examination with the referring physician in Zurich, and after receiving the go-ahead for laser surgery there as well, and after excellent care from Mr. Karaagacli-Leoni, I decided to have the laser surgery in Istanbul.

On Monday, March 23, 2009, my wife and I flew with Swiss to Istanbul, where we were picked up by Birol and taken to the Midtown Hotel (highly recommended). We spent the evening in the Taksim district with an acquaintance of ours who lives in Istanbul.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at 11:00 a.m., we were picked up by Birol, which wasn’t really necessary since our hotel was only a 3-minute walk from the clinic. The clinic looked old and dilapidated from the outside, because the building is a listed historical monument, but inside it’s state-of-the-art and very hygienic.

The pre-operative examination and information session about the surgery followed (all in perfect German, or even Swiss German, thanks to Fred). After the examination, we had four hours to ourselves. Since my vision was a little impaired, we opted for a short walk and a nice lunch. The surgery took place at 5:00 PM; I was third in line. The operation flew by (lasted about 20 minutes) and was completely painless (though it was more painful for my wife, who was able to watch and film everything on a monitor). After the surgery, we stayed at the clinic for about 30 minutes for a brief follow-up examination.
Then we went to the hotel, where I fell asleep immediately.

On Wednesday, March 25, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. again, we went to the clinic, but there was no sign of the anticipated pain. The follow-up examination took place, and the doctor said everything was fine. I had the feeling that my vision was slightly less good with my left eye than with my right… We spent Wednesday afternoon sightseeing in Istanbul, an amazing city with a huge population (now 20 million). We went to the bazaar, the Asian side of the city, shopping malls, and finally, we had kebabs.

Thursday, March 26, 2009, Birol picked us up at 3:00 PM and took us to the airport. On the plane, I had to use eye drops every half hour, but that wasn’t a problem at all. We arrived in Zurich-Kloten at 8:00 PM, I got behind the wheel of my car, and drove home without any problems.

March 27, 2009 – Today: I have had absolutely no problems since the laser surgery. I still have the feeling that I see slightly better with my right eye than with my left, but this will become clear after the follow-up examination (approximately one month after the surgery).

I am thoroughly enjoying my new life with great eyesight without glasses/contact lenses and watch the video of my operation, including impressions of Istanbul, almost weekly.

In conclusion: The operation went perfectly, and the staff at the Eye-Star Clinic, including Mr. Karaagacli-Leoni, are incredibly friendly and accommodating. Besides the surgery, I also had the opportunity to explore Istanbul, a truly impressive city. I would absolutely repeat the operation and highly recommend the Eye-Star Clinic to anyone else.

Many thanks to everyone involved!