Laser Eye Surgery in Turkey: Suitability, Timing and Your Stay

Laser eye surgery in Turkey is a short procedure inside a longer trip: the US FDA says LASIK itself takes under 30 minutes, but you must stop wearing soft contact lenses two weeks before the first evaluation and see the doctor again within 24 to 48 hours after surgery. So the days in Istanbul are set by the clinic's evaluation, the operation and the first check, not by the laser. Prices come from the clinic in writing, and only after your eyes have been measured. Choose a hotel close to the clinic; our where to stay in Istanbul guide explains the districts.

Get Turkey Tours is a licensed Turkish travel agency (TÜRSAB A-15751). We are not a clinic, an eye surgeon or a health-tourism facilitator, and we do not recommend clinics or book surgery. This page sets out what health bodies say in general, the official checks in Türkiye and the practical side of a stay in Istanbul. Whether you are suitable, which procedure you have and when you may fly are decisions for your eye surgeon.

The procedure in brief

The NHS describes two broad groups of vision-correction surgery. Laser surgery reshapes the cornea, the clear front of the eye. Lens surgery puts an artificial lens into the eye. LASIK is the best-known laser method; clinics also offer surface treatments and other laser techniques, and which one suits you depends on measurements such as the thickness of your cornea.

General points from the NHS and the FDA:

• The surgery usually takes 20 to 30 minutes (NHS); the FDA says LASIK should take under 30 minutes.
• It is usually done with numbing drops, although some procedures need other anaesthesia.
• Both eyes are usually treated on the same day, although some lens surgeries are done on separate days.
• Most people go home the same day, but you must not drive home. The FDA says to arrange a lift, as you may be given a relaxing medicine.
• During LASIK you look at a light to keep the eye still, and the FDA notes you must be able to keep your gaze fixed for at least 60 seconds. A shield goes over the eye afterwards.

On the NHS, laser eye surgery is usually only available privately, which is one reason people look abroad.

Are you likely to be suitable? What the FDA lists

Suitability is decided at the clinic, after tests. The FDA lists situations in which LASIK may not be right for you, or carries extra risk you should discuss with the surgeon:

• Age under 18. No lasers are approved for LASIK in people under 18, and people in their early twenties or younger are more likely to have an unstable prescription.
• A recent change in prescription. If your glasses or contact-lens prescription changed in the past year.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding, which can make the prescription less stable.
• Some conditions and medicines that can affect healing, such as autoimmune disease, diabetes, immunodeficiency, and medicines like steroids or retinoic acid.
• Eye conditions such as glaucoma, keratoconus, herpes infections near the eye, or previous eye surgery or injury.
• Contact sports with frequent blows to the face, such as boxing, wrestling and martial arts.

The travel lesson is simple: you might fly to Istanbul and be told at the evaluation that LASIK is not right for you, or that another procedure is. Book flights and a hotel you can change, and ask the clinic to review your prescription history and medical details before you travel, so that obvious problems come up early.

Before you fly: contact lenses and paperwork

The FDA asks you to stop wearing contact lenses before the baseline evaluation, because lenses change the shape of the cornea:

If the evaluation is in Istanbul, the break starts at home, so you will travel in glasses. Pack a spare pair and sunglasses. Also bring:

• your recent glasses and contact-lens prescriptions, ideally going back a few years;
• a list of your medicines and any eye or general health conditions;
• your insurance details, keeping in mind that the UK government warns standard travel insurance does not normally cover a trip made for elective treatment.

How long to stay, and what you can do afterwards

Ask the clinic for its own schedule in writing. The table below puts the FDA's general guidance into travel terms.

The NHS adds that you should not drive at night until your eyes have recovered, and that you may be advised to wear non-prescription sunglasses or goggles. When you can fly home is the surgeon's call. Ask directly and get the answer in writing.

What decides the price

We do not quote laser eye surgery prices. Only the clinic can, after measuring your eyes, and the useful question is what the quote covers. Compare quotes on these points:

1. The procedure and technology. Laser methods differ, and lens surgery is a different operation. The quote should name what is planned.
2. Both eyes or one. Most quotes are for both eyes; check.
3. The evaluation and tests. Included, or charged separately if you turn out to be unsuitable?
4. Follow-up. The first check after surgery, any further checks in Istanbul and the medicines.
5. A second treatment. The NHS lists needing a second operation, such as laser fine-tuning, among possible complications, along with under- or over-correction. Ask whether the clinic charges for this and whether you would have to travel back for it.
6. Who checks you later. The FDA mentions checks for at least six months. Ask which ones the clinic expects you to have at home, and whether your optician or doctor there will do them.

The CDC gives the same advice for any medical trip: confirm what the price includes, because some facilities charge substantial follow-up fees, and know where follow-up will happen. Transfers and hotel nights are travel costs on top, not part of the treatment price.

Checking the clinic in Türkiye

Since the Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health was published on 26 April 2025, health facilities and intermediaries that serve foreign patients in Türkiye must hold an International Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate. The Ministry of Health's health-tourism department publishes lists of authorised hospitals, medical centres, private practices and facilitators, and the HealthTürkiye platform, run by the state company USHAŞ, lists certificated providers and has a 24/7 line on +90 850 288 38 38.

Ask the clinic for its legal name and certificate, find it on the right list, and check any agent on the facilitator list. The UK Foreign Office's advice for Turkey also tells travellers to discuss plans with their own doctor first and to do their own research, because companies arranging treatment have a financial interest in it.

Side effects, and when to get help

The NHS says most people have some side effects after laser or lens surgery. Common ones include glare, halos, starbursts and ghost images, blurred vision, sore eyes similar to dry eye, and red blotches on the white of the eye. These usually improve within a few months; contact the clinic if they do not. Less common risks include under- or over-correction, the need for a second operation and, rarely, serious vision loss.

The NHS lists warning signs that need urgent help: sudden new floaters or more floaters, flashes of light, a dark curtain or shadow moving across your vision, and sudden blurred vision. While you are in Istanbul, keep the clinic's emergency number with you. At home, know where your nearest urgent eye service is, and take your records in English, as the CDC recommends, so that a doctor there can see what was done.

Istanbul after laser eye surgery

On days the clinic allows, Istanbul has plenty of slow, seated things to do. Ask the surgeon about wind, dust and bright sun before you go out.

• Arrive and leave by car. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. A private airport transfer avoids night-time taxis when your eyes are still adjusting to glare.
• Use a driver on clinic days. A private car with a driver waits at the clinic, which matters because you cannot drive yourself home.
• Go on the water, not in it. A Bosphorus cruise is seated and calm; swimming, the hotel pool and the hammam wait until your surgeon says yes. The things to do on the Bosphorus page lists options.
• Indoor visits in the afternoon. Dolmabahçe Palace is an indoor palace visit on the European shore, and a whirling dervish ceremony is about an hour in a seated hall.
• Companions have more freedom. A partner can spend a day in the old city with a private guide while you rest.

Tours that cover this

These are travel services only. They are not treatment, and their prices are not part of any surgery cost.

• Istanbul Airport VIP transfer in a private Mercedes Vito — from $60 per group.
• Istanbul private driver for 8 hours — from $299 per group, for clinic days or a slow drive.
• Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pick-up — from $75 per person.
• Dolmabahçe Palace private tour with guide and ticket — from $150 per person.
• Whirling dervish sema ceremony with reserved seating — from $60 per person.

Frequently Asked Questions