I knew that one day I would do eye laser surgery. I had never liked my glasses and, most of all, myself with glasses.

That’s why, this year, I finally made an appointment to get the surgery done. Check out my blog post about it:

Barbaralicious Goes Eye Laser Surgery!

Patrick from German Backpacker: LASIK in Turkey!

I always knew that at some point I will get my eyes lasered. I was wearing lenses most of the time, but especially when traveling, it was very annoying and sometimes even difficult to keep them clean when I was for example camping or when I stayed in hostels. But I always felt like it would be super expensive to get it done! At some point, I did more research and realized that the exactly same surgeries which are offered in Germany for a high price are also offered in Istanbul for a small fraction of the it. Istanbul has actually some of the best eye clinics of the world, so my fear of getting such an important surgery done somewhere abroad quickly vanished after reading all the positive experiences and reviews. I got in touch with a German agency called „sehhilfe-weg.de“, who organized the surgeries in Istanbul. They even offer a complete package including flight booking, accommodation and airport pickup. But since I’m a frequent traveler and always on a budget, I only paid for the surgery (around 600€) and organized cheap flights and a bed in a hostel by myself. On the day of the surgery, I got welcomed at the clinic by a German speaking assistant and after some checks, it was time for the LASIK surgery. The feeling was certainly uncomfortable, but the whole procedure only took a few minutes and I was done! I got some big glasses for protection and was allowed to go back to my hostel, while seeing very blurry. I rested in my dark room for a few hours waiting for my sight to return, which only took until evening. I still had a weird feeling in my eyes (as if I was wearing my lenses for too long), but on the next day everything was better and I returned to the clinic for a quick after-check. I was so happy to finally see clearly again and used the few extra days I had in Istanbul for sightseeing, before returning back home. I had to use eye drops for a few weeks and sometimes felt that my eyes were very dry (especially when sitting in front of a monitor too long), but these small issues vanished soon after. I never regretted my decision to get my laser surgery done in Istanbul – great value, great result, and even in combination with traveling to an exciting city!

About Patrick and German Backpacker

Hi, I’m Patrick, a travel blogger from Germany focusing on adventure and backpacking travels around the world! I blog on German Backpacker!

Jackie from Life of Doing: LASIK and PRK in California!

Who wants to deal with glasses, hard contact lenses, and multiple cleaning solutions during exercising and traveling? My husband and I registered for the Tokyo Marathon, and we decided to have laser eye surgery before our marathon in January 2015. We went to three different clinics in San Jose, California for quotes and surgery qualification. Prices varied from $3500 to $5300 USD per person for both eyes.

After many considerations, we went with Scott Hyver Professionals, located in Santa Clara, California. We felt comfortable with the Dr. Hyver’s team, customer service, and the lifetime surgery touch-up if needed. Several friends had their procedures done with Dr. Hyver and had positive results. I paid $4900 for my laser surgery, while my husband paid over $5000. Due to my thinner cornea on my left eye, I had the PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) surgery which removes the outer shape of the cornea for the correction. Dr. Hyver was the only doctor to recommend PRK to me. My right eye had the Lasik surgery, and my husband did the Lasik surgery as well.

On the day of the surgery, everything went smoothly. I was originally nervous as eyesight is something you shouldn’t mess with. The surgery team asked if I wanted to hold a stress ball which I declined. After the numbing drops and hearing the laser sounds, the surgery was done in less than 10 minutes. It was amazing to wake up to clear vision the next morning. Healing process took two weeks for my PRK left eye while my Lasik eye healed in a few days. We had dry eyes during our healing process, but that was natural. The procedure was a life-changing moment and would recommend it to anyone!

About Jackie and Life of Doing

Sofie from WonderfulWanderings: ReLEx-Smile in Belgium!

I’d been wanting to get my eyes lasered for a few years already when I finally made the decision at the beginning of 2017 when yet another person I knew told me about how great it had been for them. Initially, I wanted to get LASIK, but during my research, I found a procedure that’s even newer and better in the sense that it has an even higher success and lower complication percentage than LASIK: ReLEx-Smile.

There happened to be a doctor specialized in this procedure working from a clinic – Mediclinic – just a 15-minute drive from where I live. I didn’t hesitate and made an appointment to get my eyes tested and find out whether I was eligible for the procedure. I was!

I went back to get it done a few weeks later and can honestly say it’s one of the best things I ever had done. The procedure itself took literally just a few minutes and I could already see again straight after. I did have to let my eyes rest for a few days so that they could stabilize – jumping right back behind the laptop the next day wasn’t a great idea – and I also had to use some drops to help them heal and keep them moist.

The day after the surgery I needed to go back for a check-up, and then again two weeks later, six weeks later and six months later.

At the moment, my eyes are better than 100%. I don’t know how that’s possible, but apparently, it is. My eyesight is literally better than a fighter jet pilot right now and it has changed how I travel so much.

No more taking extra lenses with me. No more taking lens fluid and lens containers. No more lugging my glasses around. No more suffering from dry eyes after a long day because I kept my lenses in for too long. If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that I didn’t have it done sooner.

About Sofie and Wonderful Wanderings

Belgium-based Sofie helps people plan worry-free trips by providing them with detailed travel itineraries based on her own travels as well as practical travel information and how-tos. And if you really don’t like to research or simply don’t have the time, she’ll create a custom itinerary for you. She’s driven by an urge to explore and a cup of green tea (or two). Check out Wonderful Wanderings.

Jessica from Notes of Nomads: LASIK in Japan!

A couple of years ago, I tried to get Lasik done at a well-known clinic in Tokyo. I chose this particular clinic because a friend had been there before and was happy with the results.

I researched all the procedures they had, which ranged from 154,000 to 300,000 yen (roughly US$1450 to $2840) and I decided to go with their most modern and expensive procedure – the Amaris Z-Lasik. I would also be able to get a discount of several hundred dollars thanks to a referral coupon my friend gave me.

Their one-day package is the most encouraged and cheapest option. This means that you do all your tests and have the surgery on the same day. At first, I thought this was a convenient option, but I quickly learned that it’s not the best when things don’t go as planned.

It turned out that I have thin corneas and was told that I’m not an ideal candidate for Lasik. They also said that my nose is too big for the machine (I get the first reasoning but not the second!).

I was told I’d have to go with the older Intralase option and also get a second surgery known as cross-linking. Together it would be an additional $US660.

I hadn’t heard of this second procedure before and they were really pushy about me getting it done. I only had 5 minutes to Google it in the waiting room before I had to confirm my procedure. My gut was telling me not to do it, so I didn’t.

Although it was disappointing, I’m glad that I didn’t go through with it (at least not at this clinic). It’s one thing to not be an ideal candidate and needing to look at other options, but it really felt like they were trying to sell me on a procedure that I wasn’t comfortable with just to make some extra cash.

They got irritated when I asked questions, changed their story about various things that just didn’t seem to add up, and I couldn’t meet the doctor who would be performing the surgery. When I left, they tried to coax me back by offering to “do me a deal” and recommending cheaper options that they previously said were not ideal for me. In any case, it felt far from reputable.

I’m not against looking into Lasik again elsewhere (I know lots of people who have had great experiences in many parts of the world), but I think a clinic that does the initial screening on a separate day is much better for me. I’d like to be able to have all my questions answered, feel comfortable with the procedure and meet the doctor performing it.

About Jessica and Notes of Nomads

Jessica Korteman is an Australian travel writer, currently based in Tokyo, Japan. You’ll most often find her on her blog, Notes of Nomads  delving into culture and expat life, and how to create a lifestyle full of new experiences.