My laser eye surgery in Istanbul on October 18, 2011 at Acibadem Hospital – report from Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I am now 23 years old and have worn glasses since I was 14. At the beginning, I only had a slight visual impairment, but it worsened year after year. At some point, I could no longer see anything at all without glasses and had to wear them all the time. For this reason, I started wearing contact lenses around five years ago. I used them for sport, swimming and going out. Unfortunately, I never got on very well with them. As soon as I wore them for too long, they became uncomfortable. This was very tedious and inconvenient.
I had often informed myself about laser eye surgery online. This summer, I then looked into laser treatment seriously. As my eyesight has not deteriorated for over two years now, I saw no reason to wait any longer. I discovered swisslasik.ch some time ago, and the offer, the service and the prices convinced me. Why should I pay more than twice as much for an operation in Switzerland when I can have the procedure in Turkey and even combine it with a city trip?
After a few emails with Mr Karaagacli, I registered, and shortly afterwards I was sitting on the plane to Istanbul with my mother, who accompanied me. After a pleasant flight with Turkish Airlines, a member of the clinic staff was already waiting for us at the airport and drove us to the hotel. The location right next to the shopping street was, of course, perfect. The room was charmingly furnished and the staff very friendly.
The next morning, we were picked up from the hotel well ahead of schedule and driven to the Acibadem Clinic. There, we were welcomed by a staff member who spoke perfect German and accompanied us as an interpreter for the rest of the day. The preliminary examination took place in the morning. What I had already been told during the preliminary examination in Switzerland was confirmed: my eyes were suitable. After around a three-hour lunch break, the time had come and I was prepared for the operation. Wearing a gown, hygienic shoes and after a few eye drops, I was led into the operating theatre.
I was fully conscious. The doctor briefly told me that I simply had to lie still and look at the green dot. My eyes were fixed so that I could no longer blink, and then it began. My left eye had difficulty focusing on the green dot and kept moving. Fortunately, nothing could go wrong because the laser device is designed to handle this. After around 20 minutes, both eyes had been lasered. The operation was somewhat uncomfortable.
I was then led out wearing protective goggles. My mother had also undergone the preliminary examination and then, more or less spontaneously, decided to have the operation as well, so we were both operated on one after the other. See the separate report by Margrit Camenzind. I was allowed to open my eyes immediately after the operation. However, everything was still quite blurred. My eyes were burning and felt as if there were grains of sand in them. The next half hour is somewhat uncomfortable. My nose keeps running because the tear duct is affected during the operation. A little later, we receive eye drops from the ophthalmologist, and I feel much better immediately. We are led to the lobby to wait for the shuttle bus. While we are waiting, a man in a wheelchair speaks to us and asks whether we have had our eyes lasered. He himself is from Libya and also runs an eye laser clinic there. As he was shot in Libya, he is now in the Acibadem Clinic for rehabilitation. This once again confirms for us that the clinic must be truly excellent.
Back at the hotel, we lie down and try not to open our eyes, as this is still quite uncomfortable. For the next six hours, we have to put the prescribed eye drops into our eyes every hour until we can finally go to sleep. When I wake up the next morning, all the pain and discomfort are forgotten. I wake up and can simply see. Just like that. Without glasses. An incredible feeling.
Once again, we are picked up well ahead of schedule for the follow-up examination. The ophthalmologist takes a brief look at my eyes and confirms that everything went well, so I am free to go on a city tour. Fortunately, we were able to have the trip customised individually, and so we stayed for a total of five nights. There is so much to see in the city. The mosques impressed me with their size and beauty, and especially for women, Istanbul is a huge shopping paradise. The people are very friendly and helpful.
Today, around six weeks after the operation, I am thoroughly enjoying my new life without glasses and without contact lenses. By now, it has almost become second nature that I can simply see, and I have almost forgotten what it was like with glasses. I can only recommend the operation. Swisslasik is certainly partly responsible for the fact that I dared to take this step, and for that I am very grateful.
Written by Manuela Camenzind, 29 November 2011