Frequently asked questions

Examination and booking

• What happens at the first examination?

  We listen to your complaint and eye history, measure your visual acuity and eye pressure, and examine your eye with a slit lamp. If laser, ICL or cataract surgery is planned, corneal topography, thickness measurement and biometry are added. Drops that widen the pupil may be used, so you should not drive that day.

• Am I a candidate for laser eye surgery?

  Your prescription should have been stable for at least a year, your cornea should be thick and regular enough, and you should have no active eye disease. Topography and thickness measurements show this. If laser is not suitable, options such as ICL are considered.

• What should I be careful about after surgery?

  Avoid rubbing your eyes, use the prescribed drops regularly and keep your check-up appointments. Rules specific to your operation, and when you can return to everyday activities, vary from person to person and are discussed in detail at your examination and pre-operative consultation.

• How are fees decided?

  Fees depend on the procedure and the lens used. Under Turkish Ministry of Health advertising rules, prices are not published on the website; you will be given full details after your examination.

• How do I book an appointment?

  Fill in the form on this page, call +90 537 858 78 07 or send a WhatsApp message. Examinations take place at Medicana Zincirlikuyu Hospital, Büyükdere Caddesi No: 165, Esentepe.

Refractive Surgery

Laser Eye SurgeryPhakic Intraocular Lens

• Does laser eye surgery hurt?

  During the procedure most people feel touch and pressure. After PRK and No-Touch, the eye can be sore and gritty while the surface layer regrows, and you are given drops and pain relief for this. Discomfort after LASIK and SMILE Pro is usually milder.

  More on this: Laser Eye Surgery (PRK, LASIK, SMILE)

• Is there an age limit?

  You need to be at least 18, and your prescription should have stayed the same for at least a year. There is no fixed upper limit, but from the mid-40s onwards near vision and the condition of the natural lens are also taken into account.

  More on this: Laser Eye Surgery (PRK, LASIK, SMILE)

• Can I have laser surgery if my cornea is thin?

  It depends on the thickness and the prescription. PRK and No-Touch do not create a flap, so they preserve more of the cornea's supporting tissue and can suit some thinner corneas. If the cornea is not thick enough for laser, or the prescription is very high, a phakic intraocular lens (ICL) is considered.

  More on this: Laser Eye Surgery (PRK, LASIK, SMILE)

• How is an ICL different from laser eye surgery?

  Laser surgery corrects your prescription by removing tissue from the cornea. An ICL leaves the cornea untouched and adds a lens inside the eye, which can be removed if needed. Which one suits you depends on your corneal thickness, your prescription and the measurements taken inside the eye.

  More on this: Phakic Intraocular Lens (ICL)

• Can I feel the ICL, or can other people see it?

  The lens sits inside the eye behind the iris, so you cannot feel it and it is not visible to others. Unlike a contact lens, it needs no daily care or cleaning.

  More on this: Phakic Intraocular Lens (ICL)

• Can an ICL be removed later?

  Yes. If necessary, the lens can be removed or exchanged for a different one. Because no corneal tissue is removed, that option stays open.

  More on this: Phakic Intraocular Lens (ICL)

Cataract and Lens Surgery

Cataract SurgeryMultifocal, Trifocal and EDOF Lenses

• Can drops or new glasses treat a cataract?

  No. A new prescription may help for a while, but the clouding stays in the lens. The only effective treatment is to remove the cloudy lens surgically and replace it with an artificial one.

  More on this: Cataract Surgery

• Do I need to wait until the cataract is 'ripe'?

  No. Timing depends on how much the cataract affects reading, driving, screen work and other everyday tasks. A very hard, advanced cataract makes the operation longer and technically more demanding.

  More on this: Cataract Surgery

• What will I feel during the operation?

  Most people notice only light and some pressure. Mild grittiness and watering are common in the early days afterwards. How the eye is prepared for surgery is discussed in detail at your examination and the pre-operative consultation.

  More on this: Cataract Surgery

• Will I be completely free of glasses?

  With a trifocal lens, most everyday tasks can be done without glasses. With an EDOF lens, you may need reading glasses for small print. The health of the eye and any prescription left after surgery also affect the result, so which tasks might still need glasses is discussed at your consultation.

  More on this: Multifocal, Trifocal and EDOF Lenses

• Should I choose a trifocal or an EDOF lens?

  A trifocal lens suits people who read a lot and want to avoid reading glasses. An EDOF lens may suit people who drive often at night, are bothered by halos, or have an eye condition that rules out a multifocal design. The decision is based on your measurements and your daily habits together.

  More on this: Multifocal, Trifocal and EDOF Lenses

• I have astigmatism. Can I still have a smart lens?

  Yes. Multifocal, trifocal and EDOF lenses all come in toric versions that also correct astigmatism. The amount and axis of the astigmatism are measured from the cornea.

  More on this: Multifocal, Trifocal and EDOF Lenses

Corneal Diseases

Keratoconus TreatmentCorneal TransplantPterygium Surgery

• Can keratoconus make me lose my sight?

  Keratoconus does not affect the retina or the optic nerve. Vision loss comes from the distorted shape of the cornea and, at advanced stages, from scarring. Depending on the stage, glasses, rigid or scleral lenses, corneal rings or a transplant are used to restore vision.

  More on this: Keratoconus Treatment

• How long does keratoconus keep progressing?

  It usually starts in the teenage years and progresses through the twenties, generally slowing in the thirties and forties. The course varies from person to person, and the only way to tell whether it is progressing is to compare corneal topography scans taken over time.

  More on this: Keratoconus Treatment

• Can my body reject the new cornea?

  Yes, the immune system can react against donor tissue. Rejection is most common in the first years but can happen many years later. If redness, light sensitivity, reduced vision or pain begins, seek help the same day; rejection caught early can often be reversed with intensive drops.

  More on this: Corneal Transplant

• Does the donor cornea need to be tissue-matched?

  Usually not. The cornea has no blood vessels, so routine tissue matching of the kind used in kidney transplants is generally not required. Tissue from the eye bank is screened for infectious diseases, and its clarity and endothelial cell count are checked before use.

  More on this: Corneal Transplant

• Can eye drops make a pterygium go away?

  Drops ease redness and grittiness, but they do not shrink the tissue. A small pterygium that is not growing can be monitored, with its size measured at each check-up.

  More on this: Pterygium Surgery

• Is a pterygium a form of cancer?

  No. A pterygium is a benign growth and does not spread to other parts of the body. If a lesion looks unusual or changes quickly, the removed tissue is sent for laboratory examination.

  More on this: Pterygium Surgery

Eyelids and Tear Ducts

Eyelid SurgeryBlocked Tear Duct Surgery

• What is the difference between blepharoplasty and ptosis surgery?

  Blepharoplasty removes surplus skin and fat that hang over the lid. Ptosis surgery tightens or reattaches the muscle that raises the edge of the lid. If the examination shows both problems, the two can be done in the same operation.

  More on this: Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

• Can drooping eyelids affect my vision?

  Yes. When skin hangs over the lashes, the upper part of your field of vision narrows. A visual field test measures this. It is done once with the lids in their natural position and once with them taped up, and the difference shows how much of the loss comes from the lids.

  More on this: Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

• Will there be a visible scar?

  On the upper lid the incision is placed in the natural crease. The scar looks pink at first and fades over time, at a pace that varies from person to person. Lower-lid fat can often be removed from the inside of the lid, leaving no cut on the skin.

  More on this: Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

• My baby's eye is always watery and sticky. Is it a blocked tear duct?

  That is the most common sign of a congenital blocked tear duct, and most clear up on their own within the first year. Your baby should still be examined. Sensitivity to light, an eye that looks enlarged or a cloudy cornea can be signs of congenital glaucoma and need to be checked without delay.

  More on this: Blocked Tear Duct Surgery

• How do I massage my baby's tear sac?

  Place your index finger between the inner corner of the eye and the bridge of the nose, press gently and slide it downwards towards the nose. Do this a few times a day, with several strokes each time. The right spot and pressure are shown to you at the examination.

  More on this: Blocked Tear Duct Surgery

• At what age is probing done?

  If the duct is still blocked despite massage, probing is usually planned around the first birthday. It may be considered earlier in babies who keep getting infections. How the procedure is carried out is explained in detail at the examination.

  More on this: Blocked Tear Duct Surgery

Ocular Surface and Contact Lenses

Dry Eye TreatmentContact Lens Fitting

• My eyes water all the time. Can that still be dry eye?

  Yes. When the dry surface of the eye becomes irritated, the tear gland responds with a flood of watery reflex tears. These tears lack the oily layer that holds them on the eye, so they run down the cheek instead. At the examination the doctor checks whether the watering comes from dryness or from a blocked tear duct.

  More on this: Dry Eye Treatment

• How many times a day can I use artificial tears?

  Preservative-free drops can be used as often as you need them. With preserved bottles, using them more than four times a day can irritate the eye's surface, so anyone needing drops more often is moved to a preservative-free product. If symptoms continue despite regular drops, the underlying cause is looked at again.

  More on this: Dry Eye Treatment

• What does having a punctal plug fitted feel like?

  The plug is placed in the examination chair. You may feel brief pressure during the procedure and a mild foreign-body sensation at the inner corner in the early days. If the plug causes discomfort or watering, it can be removed.

  More on this: Dry Eye Treatment

• Is my contact lens prescription the same as my glasses prescription?

  Not always. A spectacle lens sits about 12 mm in front of the eye, while a contact lens rests directly on the cornea. Above roughly 4 dioptres this difference in distance changes the power needed. The curve and diameter of the lens are also chosen for your eye, which is why a separate contact lens examination and trial are done.

  More on this: Contact Lens Fitting

• Can I sleep in my contact lenses?

  Sleeping in lenses markedly increases the risk of corneal infection. Only lenses approved for overnight wear can be left in, on your doctor's advice and for the agreed period. Do not nap in daily-wear lenses, even briefly.

  More on this: Contact Lens Fitting

• Can I swim in contact lenses?

  Contact with tap, pool or sea water can lead to corneal infections such as Acanthamoeba keratitis, which are difficult to treat. Not wearing lenses for swimming is the safest choice. If you must, wear tight-fitting swimming goggles and throw away daily lenses once you are out of the water.

  More on this: Contact Lens Fitting