Experience report on laser eye surgery from April 7, 2011 – Report from Friday, April 29, 2011

Motivation for the procedure
I had never really thought about having laser eye surgery. As my work takes place exclusively in front of a computer, I only needed glasses when driving and/or watching television. My glasses had a correction of -1.75 in both eyes. The idea of laser eye surgery only came about around five to six weeks before the operation, when I met some acquaintances during a night out who had already had the procedure in November 2010. They were very satisfied with the result and recommended it to me. A few days later, I started researching online and came across several videos as well as the Swisslasik website. At the beginning, the main challenge was to determine which LASIK method was the best and which suited my eyes most. After a few days, it became clear to me that only femto LASIK was an option for me.
Organisation
Initially, I wanted to have the operation done after the summer holidays, but the whole topic fascinated me so much that I did not want to wait any longer. Perhaps the enthusiasm would have faded after a few months and I might have decided against it. I therefore got in touch with Mr Karaagacli and asked him whether he could organise everything as quickly as possible. When I received the information from him that everything could be arranged for 7–10 April, meaning within one week, I was first very surprised and then very pleased that everything could happen so quickly.
Preliminary examination
I did not undergo a full preliminary examination. I only did a short check with a Swiss laser surgery provider, which cost CHF 20, to see whether I was suitable for femto LASIK at all.
Confirmation
After we confirmed the trip in writing to Mr Karaagacli and transferred the agreed amount to him, we received the Swisslasik pass within a few days.
Day of arrival
Our flight was not until 2.00 p.m. from Zurich to Istanbul, so we were able to sleep in that day. By we, I mean my brother and I, as we both flew to Istanbul together and both had our eyes treated with laser surgery. When we arrived in Istanbul at around 6.00 p.m. local time, the transfer service was already waiting for us at the airport exit with our names displayed. That evening, we enjoyed a nice meal in a restaurant and spent some time in the Taksim district. Of course, we did not stay out too late, as the preliminary examination and the operation were scheduled for the following day.
Preliminary examination and operation
We arranged for the transfer service to pick us up from the hotel at exactly 9.00 a.m. and take us to Acibadem Hospital. The preliminary examination was very quick; within about one and a half hours, both of us had completed all the tests and discussed the operation with the doctor. I must say that everything was very well organised, and the doctor explained everything to us in great detail and very calmly. After the preliminary examination, we returned to the hotel and had something to eat for lunch. At 3.30 p.m., the transfer service arrived again and took us back to the hospital for the upcoming operation.
The operation at 5.00 p.m.
The operation was very well organised. All team members knew exactly what they had to do. The doctor explained every step she was taking, which helped to reduce our nervousness. At the beginning, the eyes were numbed locally, which is no different from the process of applying normal eye drops – you hardly feel anything at all. We were then called into the operating theatre wearing sterile surgical clothing, first me and then my brother.
The femto cut
During the operation itself, you really do not feel any pain. During the femto cut, you only feel a slight pressure in the eye.
Correction
After the femto cut, I went to the next room, where the excimer laser was to perform the correction. While I was lying under the excimer laser, my brother’s femto cut was carried out in the meantime. About 10 minutes later, the doctor came and treated my eyes with the laser. It is actually very difficult to focus on the green dot in the centre, because the doctor is constantly moving the pupil back and forth with an instrument.
After the operation
After the operation, I went to the waiting room and waited for my brother. Immediately after the procedure, we were both given sterile plastic protective goggles to protect the eyes from infections. When 15 minutes had passed since my operation and my brother still had not come out, and I could hear the doctor’s high-pitched tone from the operating theatre, I immediately knew that something had not gone quite as smoothly for him as it had for me.
After about 20 minutes, my brother also came out of the operating theatre. He had experienced some complications during the laser treatment. By complications, I mean that with his right eye he had difficulty focusing on the green dot, and as a result the doctor could not carry out the laser treatment properly, or it had to be repeatedly interrupted because he moved his eye too much. She also told him that if it continued like that, she would have to stop the operation. It was immediately noticeable that my brother felt uncomfortable.
When we asked the doctor during the follow-up check (30 minutes after the operation) whether everything had gone well, she replied: We will only be able to see that tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the journey between the hospital and the hotel was a bit too long for us. Our eyes were watering and we could hardly see anything. When we arrived at the hotel, we both got out of the car and hurried to the hotel room. In this rush, I unfortunately forgot our glasses in the car, and they were never found again. Perhaps that happened for a reason and was a sign that we would never need to wear glasses again.
The first four hours are very critical. You should really stay in a dark room with your eyes closed and apply the eye drops every two hours. As soon as we opened our eyes, tears started flowing and we had the feeling of having “a grain of sand” in our eyes. At that moment, I truly hoped that everything had gone well for my brother too.
After about four hours, the tearing stopped and the “sand grain” sensation in the eyes became less. We had extremely high light sensitivity, which is completely normal after the operation. By then it was already 10.00 p.m., so we tried to get some sleep to allow our eyes to rest. Unfortunately, we had to strictly stick to sleeping on our backs that night, which made it quite difficult for us to fall asleep. Still, I remember that we managed to sleep for a few hours.
When we woke up in the morning, our vision was already much sharper than it had ever been without glasses. My brother could hardly believe how well he was able to see – even with his right eye, where he had suspected that something might have gone wrong. At 9:00 a.m. we had the follow-up examination with the doctor. She confirmed to both of us that everything was fine and that the surgery had been successful. I think she was also very relieved that my brother’s right eye had turned out well.
That day it was sunny in Istanbul, so we had to wear sunglasses and spent most of the day out in the city and shopping. It was incredible how quickly we were able to see clearly again without any major effort.
Our departure was scheduled for Sunday, two days after the operation, and we arrived back in Zurich at 1:00 p.m. local time.
A few days after the operation
In the first few days after the operation, the eyes become extremely dry, so it is highly recommended to use artificial tear drops. In addition, there is still very strong light sensitivity in the first weeks, which means that driving at night is not yet possible. However, now three weeks after the operation, you can already notice that the light sensitivity is improving.
I would recommend to everyone to look for an ophthalmologist for follow-up care before the operation, because it is extremely difficult to find one afterwards. As soon as I mentioned that I had my eyes lasered abroad, most ophthalmologists refused to give me an appointment for follow-up checks. I had several arguments with the company Vedis because they were very stubborn about this and always advised me to go to a competitor instead; they even refused to do a short check. I strongly recommend staying away from them.
Swisslasik has contacts with ophthalmologists in Bern, Zurich and Arbon, but when I asked Mr Karaagacli whether he could at least give me the name and address of the ophthalmologist in Zurich, he refused to share this information. Perhaps this is a point where Swisslasik could improve.
In retrospect, I must say that it was a very good decision to have the surgery done in Istanbul, and I would recommend it to anyone. Life has changed enormously for both of us, and when you consider that only about four hours after the operation were really uncomfortable, this is nothing compared to the lifelong benefit that follows.
Ferdi Mehmeti