I did it!!! – Report from Monday, March 17, 2008

Good heavens, laser eye surgery in Turkey – you must be crazy! Do you know this outcry? Completely unfounded!!! To the brave and the less brave, the hesitant and the undecided: I did it and can only recommend it! It took me a full eight years to decide to undergo LASIK surgery. And time was starting to run out, after all I am just about to turn 45 and reading glasses were already beckoning. Come on, now or never, I told myself and flew to Istanbul. One day later, my 5.5 and 4.75 dioptres respectively had turned into 0.0. Even better, my vision is now 125%! I can see razor-sharp, almost like an eagle. Before the operation, I had difficulty seeing clearly at night when it was raining. I expected this to get even worse, but not at all! Today I am completely resistant to glare. The fear of suffering from very dry eyes after the operation has only partially come true and to an absolutely minimal extent. I am convinced this will continue to improve, as the operation was only three weeks ago.

What can I say about the clinic in Istanbul? Very friendly, very attentive and extremely competent and precise (I am Swiss and have certain expectations in this regard). One member of staff even spoke Swiss German; all the others spoke English. The procedure was explained to me several times and the staff were always available to answer questions. The doctor indicated that I might end up with –0.5 dioptres and possibly need minimally corrected reading glasses, but he was not certain. I will say this in advance: the reading glasses can wait a few more years, and as for short-sightedness, you already know the outcome.

Surgery: It felt like ten minutes to me, but like hours to my husband. We agreed on around 30 minutes in total (including preparation such as anaesthetic drops, putting on the surgical gown and the cheeky little cap, a back massage, etc.). There was no pain and no strange smells either. You hear the machine humming and the eye is touched. Absolutely pain-free, I swear! After the procedure, there was a slight burning sensation. I was able to open my eyes immediately and saw the masked figures behind the machine through a veil. After one drop in each eye, the burning stopped straight away, and then, one hour after the surgery, a brief eye test was carried out, during which I could already see very sharply. Then I put on a thick pair of sunglasses and walked back to the hotel, applied eye drops every hour and slept, slept, slept. The next morning there was a follow-up check at the clinic, and then off into the vibrant life of Istanbul.

I am really doing very well, and I am certainly not being paid for this report, I give you my word! My husband is quite jealous, as he still wears glasses; “unfortunately” he is not short-sighted enough and the doctor advised against the procedure. Otherwise, at our age, the risk of ending up with strong reading glasses would be high. This is something that needs to be carefully weighed up.

And one more thing, a small convenience for all cooks and amateur chefs (men and women): chopping onions is now tear-free! That could also be a disadvantage, though – before the operation, my husband always did that…