My experience at the clinic in Istanbul with Swisslasik – report from Friday, February 5, 2010

For many years I had to deal with (and suffer from) my short-sightedness. I could see very well at close range, but only poorly into the distance. This affected me particularly in the dark, when driving, watching television, and so on. Of course, I wore glasses at the office for working on the computer. And when playing sports such as ice hockey and football, I still had my contact lenses. But at some point I thought to myself that this could not go on like this, as it can be corrected with laser surgery.
Through a colleague, I learned that this was possible in Istanbul with professional expertise and at a relatively affordable price. So in November 2009 I decided to have a consultation with Swisslasik in Thun and soon afterwards registered for the operation on 22 January 2010 in Istanbul. On 21 January 2010 I flew to Istanbul with Swiss and was picked up at the airport by someone I had never met before. This driver took me to my hotel, which was located very close to the eye clinic, and informed me that he would pick me up the next day at 11:00 a.m. at the entrance. And that is exactly what happened.
On 22 January I had the preliminary examination and the doctors were able to tell me straight away that the operation would not be a problem. In the afternoon at half past three I had to return to the clinic. I was a little nervous, even though I knew that it would not be a problem at all. Nevertheless, the laser operation went exactly as I had imagined, without any issues, and afterwards I was given three different types of eye drops, which I had to apply to both eyes for about ten days.
I was happy to return to my hotel, as one is known to avoid light and sunshine for a few hours after the operation. However, the next day, Saturday 23 January, I realised that my eyesight had returned as it used to be. Everything felt slightly different compared to the day before. I could see clearly into the distance again and it was simply a very positive feeling. In the afternoon I did a bit of sightseeing in Istanbul, and in the evening I went back to the famous shopping street in the Taksim area. At the same time, I was very happy and relieved that everything had worked out and was already looking forward to flying back to Switzerland on Sunday.
During those days, Istanbul experienced exceptionally cold winter weather, colder than it had been for two years, as I was told. But I can truly recommend the clinic in Istanbul, Turkey. My decisive reason, however, was the comparatively favourable cost difference between Turkey and Switzerland. The professional expertise and friendliness convinced me greatly.
Jürg Hermann, Flums