My experience with LASIK eye surgery in Turkey – Report from Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Ich war seit meinem 16. Lebensjahr Brillenträger und mit 33 hörte ich zum ersten Mal davon, dass man sich seine Augen Lasern lassen könne und nie wieder eine Brille tragen müsste.
I had worn glasses since I was 16 years old, and at 33 I first heard that you could have your eyes lasered and never have to wear glasses again.
I can’t say much about the overall organization since my girlfriend handled everything. However, I do know that there were absolutely no problems booking a different hotel than originally planned or extending the trip. We combined the surgery with a week’s holiday in Turkey.
Regarding the organization, I found it very positive that we received all the relevant data at home for review quite early on, so we could call if any questions arose.
Upon arriving at the airport, we went to the agreed meeting point and received a very friendly welcome. After a brief phone call, we were picked up about 10 minutes later, which was just as well, as our lungs were definitely in need of some fresh air.
We were taken directly to the hotel without any detours or having to go anywhere else. Our surgery wasn’t for another three days. Even though we had booked the flight and hotel separately, we were picked up and taken to the hotel – now that’s what I call service!
On the day of the examination/surgery, the chauffeur was in front of the hotel 5 minutes early and was already waiting for us; we then picked up another couple from a different hotel and went to the clinic.
At the clinic, we were escorted to reception and asked to wait briefly (in English). After five minutes, a Turkish clinic employee, who spoke perfect German, came and escorted us to another section of the clinic. We were immediately shown into the room where the first tests began. There were two machines; I sat at one, and my girlfriend at the other. After five minutes, we had already finished the first tests.
After the tests, we were taken to the doctor. After a two-minute wait, my friend was seen, and after another three minutes, it was my turn. Our corrections were measured, and some eye drops were put in to dilate the pupils, but they had to take effect for 30 minutes. We spent this time in the cafeteria, where we were accompanied to and from the cafeteria by our German-speaking Turkish companion. He was also present for every examination/surgery and was always happy to translate for us if we had any questions.
After the drops had taken effect for 30 minutes, further examinations were carried out, but we were finished again after another 30 minutes. We then had an hour for lunch.
After lunch, the operation went straight away and was over in about 15 minutes.
Before, during, and after the surgery, we received excellent advice and care, which I think is due to the Turkish mentality, and I really appreciated it.
After the surgery, we went for a quick follow-up appointment and then straight back to the hotel.
I would be lying if I said my eyes didn’t hurt like hell, but the amazing thing is that after 3 hours the pain was almost completely gone and the next day I could see quite well without glasses, definitely better than usual without glasses.
The next morning we went back to the clinic for the follow-up examinations, which again went quite quickly, something I found very positive. It wasn’t rushed like a mass processing operation, though. It was more as if they didn’t want to steal any time from us to explore beautiful Turkey a bit more. After the follow-up examinations, we went back to the hotel. Our translator was present at all times during the follow-up examinations as well.
After a week, I have to say it’s so wonderful to go through life without glasses/contact lenses. It sometimes annoys me that I didn’t take this step sooner. I can only recommend this surgery to anyone who is also tired of glasses/contact lenses.
Oh, one more thing: at the clinic we went to, it wasn’t about the money. My girlfriend was told in Switzerland that she needed to have both eyes done. In Switzerland, one eye was supposed to cost 2900 Swiss francs. But in Turkey, the doctor immediately said that the second eye couldn’t/shouldn’t be done because the correction was too weak. So only one eye was done, and the difference we overpaid was back in our account just three days after we got back from Turkey.
Michael Bartelmai