Lasik in Istanbul - Turkey, TR

Had another exam and still see great! My eyes just great blurry when I'm on the computer for too long, as I have been recently, but I was told that that's because they get dry. I was told to use artificial tears and do eye exercises (long at the longest point I can see) once an hour when I'm only on the computer. Good luck!

Greetings everyone!

Here's my official update: I had an exam and I still see 20/20! I'm in my mid-30s, so hopefully I'll be without glasses for another 10 years or so, and then maybe I'll have another treatment to get rid of my reading glasses... cornea-thickness permitting...

Meanwhile I was pregnant and had a baby this last year and during my pregnancy and I think for the first few months of my baby's life it seemed like I was farsighted at times, but thank goodness that's gone too now (baby's 7 mos old now). Supposedly my hormones were the reason.

Best,

Hello everyone,

Looking at all the negative stuff written about lasik, I thought I should share my experience, since it is a positive one. I wore contact lenses for about 14 years. I couldn't wear glasses because my diopters were so high (-7.5 and -8.0) I would get a headache right behind my ears.

I had been thinking about lasik for a while, but didn't consider it much primarily because of the cost. Until I went to Istanbul, a city I had been wanting to see my whole life. The friend at whose house I stayed in while in Istanbul had had eye laser surgery at Eyestar (www.eyestar.co) and recommended it highly because of 1-they have a lot of foreign patients, people who travel to Istanbul just to get lasik here, 2- the-much-cheaper-than-US cost, and 3-the written lifetime insurance they give every patient.

So, I went. The clinic was small and homey. Not like an intimidating hospital. I couldn't understand much of the conversation around me because the other patients were from Germany and Holland, I was told. I went through I don't know how many machines and a doctor's exam looking at every tiny detail of my eyes, and luckily it was decided that I'm suitable. That was a relief. I was told that I could go grab lunch and walk around for a few hours (since it's in Taksim, Istanbul center) . My eyes were really sensitive to the light since they put drops to dilate my pupils, so I bought some cheap sunglasses during my walk.

When I came back they told me (everything was in fluent English, by the way) all about the laser treatment and that I have to keep looking at a green light and not move my eye etc, and eventually I was taken into a room with a massage chair. While I was trying to enjoy the automated shiatsu experience my eyes were cleaned and some drops were applied. After that, through the extreme blur, I saw the operating room and was told to lie down and the action began. The most uncomfortable part was the metal thing that was holding my eye open, and I got a bit nervous but just tried to focus on my music that was playing (they told me that I could give them a CD to play during my treatment). Before I knew it they started working on my other eye, and poof, they told me to stand up. Through the blur of the drops, I could clearly see the doctor's face clearly for a few seconds, and that's how I cried from happiness for the first time in my life. I was walking around, nearly legally blind without my contacts until 10 minutes ago, and now here I was, tired (I guess I did stress out and didn't know it) but I could see clearly!

I went sightseeing the next day after my exam, and have been seeing great since then (November 2004).

I think despite all the horror stories about lasik, if it's done in the right place with the right team, and in the right conditions (not factory-style, but low-volume, sterile environment), then it can really raise the quality of your life.

There is nothing like waking up and seeing everything clearly from the moment you open your eyes. Or, when you're at the beach, or when you're trying to kiss that special someone :).