My LASIK eye surgery in Istanbul on April 8, 2008 – Report from Thursday, April 17, 2008
My LASIK eye surgery in Istanbul on April 8, 2008
Almost a year ago, my sister told me about her plan to have her eyes lasered in Istanbul. At that time I was still trying to get this “nonsense” out of her head, but since April 8, 2008 I too have been one of the “Istanbul lasered” people and have been managing my everyday life without visual aids ever since.
After my sister’s positive experience at Eyestar in Istanbul, I couldn’t shake the idea of having my visual impairment corrected (astigmatism since birth and wearing glasses since my first school doctor’s check-up).
As my “New Year’s resolution for 2008”, I registered for surgery at Swisslasik. All the booking formalities were completed quickly and I was really looking forward to the operation. Only one thing dampened my excitement – namely that I could no longer wear contact lenses three weeks before the surgery and had to go out in public wearing my much-disliked glasses.
My husband accompanied me to Istanbul. We were picked up at the airport by Birol Cayli and on the way to the hotel he surprised us with the news that we would be going directly to the clinic and that the surgery would take place that day and not the next day as agreed.
The clinic was already waiting for us and immediately began the preliminary examination, and less than 4 hours after my landing in Istanbul I was in the operating room. I was really looking forward to the surgery and everything seemed exciting and interesting to me. My husband was able to follow the surgery through a large glass window onto a large screen and even film it with our digital camera.
The procedure was painless; only the insertion of the eye stabilizer was somewhat uncomfortable.
My eyes burned a little after the operation. Since we had the hotel opposite the clinic, I was able to quickly fulfill my wish to sleep (it was already evening) and keep my eyes closed.
The next morning I put on my sunglasses and was already able to go on discovery tours in the old town of Istanbul. The follow-up examination took place in the afternoon and I was assured that the surgery had been successful. The care at the Eyestar clinic was first-class; Fred Özakatan and Cayli Birol translated when necessary, but the doctor and the medical assistant also spoke very good English.
I enjoyed another 3 days in Istanbul – not as a patient but as a sighted tourist!
My eyesight is not yet stable – but that’s normal. Sometimes I see tiny, sharp text, then again everything appears a bit blurry. However, I know from my sister that I need to be patient in this regard and that my eyesight will be stable in a few weeks or months.
Incidentally, I threw my glasses into the Bosphorus on the last day – as a “cleansing” act after more than 40 years of wearing glasses!
Irene Staub-Hofstetter
Strong
irene.staub@bwdbern.ch