My LASIK treatment in Istanbul – report from Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Dear Swisslasik team,
I have been wearing glasses since primary school. I have always been very sporty, and therefore the glasses constantly bothered me. When playing football, I had to wear my glasses because without them my vision was so poor that I would never have been able to hit the ball. In summer, I often go swimming at the beach, which is another disadvantage of glasses, because without them I could not recognise the people around me. This made me determined to do everything possible to get rid of my glasses. Even in winter, when going indoors from the cold outside, the glasses would fog up.
In the second year of lower secondary school, I tried monthly contact lenses. At first, it went well, until my eyes became inflamed. I then lost interest in contact lenses because it was simply too much effort. As is common nowadays, we young people spend a lot of time surfing the internet, and as I was looking for a solution for my eyes, I came across the LASIK method. I informed myself thoroughly about the procedure, the intervention, possible side effects and so on, and decided to go ahead with it. As soon as I reached the right age, because in Switzerland such procedures are only permitted from the age of 25, I wanted to have it done.
Through conversations with acquaintances, I became aware that the procedure could also be carried out in Istanbul, with excellent quality and at a more affordable price than in Switzerland. I immediately contacted swisslasik.ch and received information by post. I really appreciated the customer service. Mr Karaagacli advised me extremely well, and I therefore registered straight away. First, I had a voluntary preliminary examination in Zurich, and the result was positive.
On 4 July, the time had finally come. After a short waiting period, I flew from Zurich to Istanbul with SWISS. One week before departure, I received my personalised Swisslasik pass, which contained information about the treatment, travel details and more. In Istanbul, I was warmly welcomed by a German-speaking employee of the EyeStar Clinic and driven from the airport to the Taksim Life Hotel, which had only been newly built two months earlier. It was therefore very modern and hygienically furnished. From the hotel, the distance to the clinic was a ten-minute walk.
The next day, 5 July, I completed a one-hour preliminary examination in the morning so that the doctors could once again review my eye measurements. The operation was very well organised. All team members knew exactly what they had to do. The doctor explained every step he was going to perform, which helped to calm my nerves. I had to put on surgical clothing, and then my eyes were locally numbed. You feel nothing.
Then it was time. I had to lie down on the table in the operating theatre directly under the laser. During the operation, I truly felt no pain. Throughout the entire procedure, I had to concentrate on a green dot in the laser, which was quite difficult because the doctor was constantly moving the pupil back and forth with an instrument. During the operation, there was a slight smell of something burnt, and the sound of the device was similar to that at the dentist. At the end of the operation, protective contact lenses were placed on both of my eyes to protect them from infections. I was then allowed to relax for 15 minutes in another room on a comfortable recliner. Afterwards, the doctor asked me if everything was okay, and I answered that I felt good. As a result, I was able to leave the clinic only about 30 minutes after the operation and went straight back to the hotel.
At the hotel, I had to keep my eyes closed for four hours. Due to the strong sensitivity to light, I had to wear sunglasses and use my prescribed eye drops every hour. I received three different types of eye drops free of charge from the clinic, and it was important to use them regularly.
After a short sleep, I went with my girlfriend to Istiklal Street, the 2.3 km long shopping street. We had a great meal at a restaurant recommended in the Swisslasik pass. It was very delicious and I can highly recommend it. And at Moda Café, they had the best ice cream!
The next day, I went for the follow-up examination to make sure everything was fine. My eyes were checked in the same way as during the preliminary examination, and, as expected, everything was in order. I was overjoyed, even though my vision was still slightly blurred. Life without glasses is much more beautiful — the feeling of life and quality of life increase to well over 100%!
On 7 July, we flew back to Switzerland. Our chauffeur, who — like several members of the clinic and hotel staff — spoke German, drove us to the airport. After arriving in Switzerland, I had to continue using two of the three eye drops regularly every three hours for one month. The third drop, which provides moisture, I still use today. In addition, I received a gel for nighttime use to protect my eyes from dryness.
I have already completed my second follow-up examination in Switzerland; five are included in the premium package. At both follow-up appointments I have attended so far in Switzerland, everything was in perfect order. I look forward to every day and to a life without glasses.
I would like to thank the Swisslasik team, Mr Karaagacli, as well as the EyeStar team for their excellent support and advice.
Kind regards
Marc Bless