Lasik eye surgery in Egypt

Yesterday I had my lasik check-up, to see if I was eligible for lasik eye surgery. My uncle came with me to the surgery and we waited for an hour and a half for the doctor to get there.

The waiting room was painted in solid white, so there wasn't a plentiful supply of visual distraction expect one poster on the wall in front of us. A man was bent over carrying an enormous pair of glasses and the tagline written in Arabic said : Would you like to be free of glasses in just 10 minutes?

As we waited for the doctor to arrive, my uncle and I stood outside watching a colony of bats flying in and out of an abandoned, old villa. Next to us were a couple of boys piling bricks into a wheelbarrow, to be used in the construction of an apartment on the 7th floor of the building the doctor's surgery was in. The boys attached the wheelbarrow to the winch they were using to transport things from the ground to the 7th floor, and up it went. I thought that was pretty dangerous, seeing as if the winch rope snapped, a very heavy brick-filled wheelbarrow would come crashing down on the boys' heads. But, in fact, that was the least dangerous thing they did.

I saw my uncle shouting over my shoulder at someone, so I turned back round to have a look at the boys. One by one, they were attaching themselves to the winch by their arms, and like trapeze artists they were being pulled up to the 7th floor of the building. I couldn't believe it - the health and safety here is really a top priority.

After an hour and a half, the doctor entered the surgery, preceded by his 'glamorous assistant' and shortly after I was called in.

Many people may say - why do lasik eye surgery at all - it's dangerous etc etc. Then the next question is often, why do it in Egypt of all places?

Lasik has been a tried and tested procedure for approximately the last 20 years. The side effects are minimal, if at all, and the results are quite incredible.

When I first came to Egypt, I had the thought in the back of my mind that it would be nice to return to Egypt with out needing to use glasses. I figured the procedure would be a lot cheaper here as well - which I have subsequently found to be most definitely true (it is about eight times cheaper in Egypt).

At the adult-learning school I worked at, one of my fellow English teachers told me that she had had the operation done 2 years ago, and it was the best decision she ever made. That was a month ago when she told me, and I kept convincing myself not to be tempted by it - it's not safe, you should wait a few more years etc etc.

A few weeks ago I went to Siwa Oasis, in the Western desert. I went sandboarding and swimming in natural springs. On the third day we were there, there was a very bad sand storm, that meant if you got out of the car you would be completely covered in sand. This was a particularly bad problem for me, as I had chosen to wear contact lenses that day.

I left Siwa early because I was worried that I would get an eye infection from the trapped sand in my eyes, and that's when I began ruminating over the possibility of lasik - may be it wouldn't be so bad not to have to worry about contact lenses and glasses...

As with all such ideas, I eventually convinced myself that it was a good decision to get the operation done. I called the teacher who had told me about the operation, and she gave me the number of her lasik surgeon.

Now, I will attempt to address the issue of the huge price difference for the operation, in comparison to Egypt and the UK.

I will pay around 4,000 LE for my operation, which I would also be paying in British sterling, had I chosen to have the operation in the UK.

I have tried to think about the answer to this question and here are some of my thoughts.

In the UK there is a lot more bureaucracy, insurance and legal documentation that has to be completed, due to the possibility of suing a surgeon for a disappointing result. In Egypt there is almost no paperwork, and of course paperwork costs money so badaby bada boom, we have a price cut right there.

Secondly, in Egypt it really is a no frills operations. My initial check-up involved a 5 minute measurement of my prescription, and reading of my corneal thickness with a pachymeter. For the corneal thickness reading my head was propped uncomfortably backwards by the female assistant (causing my neck to ache) whilst the surgeon stuck the pen-like instrument into my eyes. There was no explanation of what he was doing.

In the UK and US I imagine the surgeon/his assistants baby their patients, making sure they are comfortable at all times - I imagine my check-up would have been on a long chaise longue type couch, with a soft pillow cushioning my neck.

The research I've done into Lasik has also informed me that in the West, surgeons usually provide their patients with special night-time glasses to prevent them from rubbing their eyes after the operation. These extravagances are not included in the Egyptian price package either. Here's a picture of a random girl, sporting these goggles:


Finally, Egyptians do not have 30,000 LE for an eye operation. 3,000 LE is already expensive. So, if the surgeon wants any customers he has to be affordable - thank you 10:1 exchange rate.