Laser Eye Surgery (LASIK / SMILE)

What laser eye surgery involves

Laser vision correction reshapes the cornea so that light focuses correctly on the retina, removing short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism. Three techniques are used. Femto-LASIK creates a thin corneal flap with a femtosecond laser and reshapes the cornea beneath it with an excimer laser — fastest recovery, clear vision the next day. ReLEx SMILE removes a lenticule of tissue through a 2 mm keyhole with no flap — more comfortable for dry eyes and contact sports, slightly slower visual recovery. PRK/LASEK treats the surface without a flap for thin corneas, with a week of recovery.

Both eyes are treated in the same session, in about fifteen minutes, under anaesthetic drops. The technique is chosen from your corneal thickness, prescription and lifestyle, not from a menu.

Who is eligible

Age 18–45 with a stable prescription for at least a year — up to about −10 for short-sightedness, +4 for long-sightedness and 5 of astigmatism — sufficient corneal thickness and no keratoconus, severe dry eye or autoimmune disease. Over 45, lens replacement is usually the better choice. Stop soft contact lenses one week and rigid lenses three weeks before diagnostics.

Why Istanbul, and why through us

Femto-LASIK or SMILE costs £3,500–5,500 for both eyes in the UK and €3,000–5,000 in Germany. Our ophthalmology partner is a JCI-accredited eye hospital running the Zeiss VisuMax and Alcon WaveLight platforms at high volume, and the all-inclusive price with hotel and transfers is around half of that.

You deal with one coordinator, one hospital and one medical team from the first message to the last follow-up. Every price is itemised in writing before you pay a deposit, and the written quote does not change unless you change the plan. Flights are never included.

Recovery and follow-up

Three nights in Istanbul: diagnostics on day one, laser on day two, check on day three and fly. Vision is usable within hours with LASIK and within one to three days with SMILE; PRK takes about a week. Drops for two to four weeks; no eye rubbing or swimming for two; sunglasses outdoors. Follow-up at one and three months can be done by any optometrist at home.

Cost of laser eye surgery in Turkey

The published price is for both eyes with Femto-LASIK or PRK and includes diagnostics, surgery, drops, hotel, transfers and coordination. ReLEx SMILE is quoted individually at a modest premium. Flights are never included.